The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has written to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) calling for the immediate and strict implementation of a recent Supreme Court judgement directing political parties to submit and comply with digital membership registers ahead of party primaries, congresses and conventions for the 2027 general elections.
The party in a letter dated October 9, 2026 and co-signed by its National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda and National Secretary, Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, maintained that any political party that failed to submit its digital register within the statutory 21-day window would be disqualified from fielding candidates in the next general elections. FollowsPolitics
The petition is predicated on the landmark apex court judgement made on September 24, 2026 in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party (Suit No. SC/CV/495/2026), The Nation reports.
In that verdict, the Supreme Court overturned an earlier order of the Court of Appeal and affirmed the constitutionality and validity of Sections 77(5) to (7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 and Activity Serial Number Two of INEC’s Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities.
The APC leadership emphasised the legal force of the judgement, reminding the electoral umpire that Section 77(4) requires that every political party submits its membership register to the commission not later than 21 days before any primary election, congress or convention, while Section 77(5) restricts eligibility to vote or be voted for strictly to such persons whose names appear on that submitted document. Follow Politics
The APC letter said, “The Court also at page 24 of the judgement clarified that the practical legal consequence of section 77(7) of the Act is that a political party which fails to submit its digital membership register within the prescribed period may be prevented from fielding candidates in the general election.”
“This interpretation by the Supreme Court shows the mandatory nature of the legislative requirements and the juridical consequences of the breach of the political parties.
The APC quoted copiously from the Supreme Court ruling and underscored that Section 77 is intended to promote internal party democracy and to deter internal election rigging by political party executives.
The letter, citing Section 228(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and judicial precedent in Ardo v. Nyako (2014), stressed that political parties still have the right to nominate candidates but the nomination procedure can no longer be subjected to the “whims and caprices of party officials. FollowPolitics
“Importantly, at page 34 of the judgement, the Supreme Court noted that the Commission had given political parties adequate time in accordance with section 77(4) of the Electoral Act 2026 to submit their digital membership registers to the Commission,” the letter said.
“So there is no justifiable reason for any political party to breach the deadline imposed by law,” he said.
The APC, while addressing INEC directly as the appellant in the matter, said it is constitutionally bound under Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution to enforce Supreme Court orders in all jurisdictions in Nigeria.
“It is very important to stress that the Commission was a party to the suit (indeed, the Appellant) and is therefore directly bound by and affected by the judgement of the Supreme Court,” the letter said.
“As such, INEC as the constitutionally empowered electoral management body has a constitutional obligation under Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution to give effect to the judgement in the discharge of its statutory responsibilities.
The ruling party called on INEC to take immediate action to check compliance by all political parties, to sanction non-compliance by removing such parties from the ballot and to guarantee that no party adopts any alternative or parallel register for the conduct of internal primaries. Follow Politics
“The APC as a political party insists that compliance with the provisions of Section 77 of the Electoral Act 2026 is not a matter of discretion but a statutory obligation, the interpretation of which has been authoritatively addressed by the Supreme Court,” the APC insisted.
“The failure to enforce the consequences prescribed by law on political parties that violate the prescribed statutory requirements would be detrimental to the objectives of internal party democracy, electoral transparency and the rule of law.”
The party closed with a demand to the electoral commission to act “expeditiously and decisively” to ensure full compliance with the statutory regime controlling party registers as the country prepares for the next electoral cycle.
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