INEC Excludes Non-Compliant Parties From Governorship Race After Supreme Court Ruling

INEC Excludes Non-Compliant Parties From Governorship Race After Supreme Court Ruling
By Our Reporter
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the exclusion of political parties that failed to submit their membership registers as required by law from fielding candidates in governorship elections, following a Supreme Court ruling affirming the mandatory nature of the requirement.
The commission said it applied the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026, delivered on September 24, 2026, while finalising the list of governorship candidates.
INEC disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday, October 13, by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee.
According to the commission, the apex court upheld the constitutionality of Section 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which requires political parties to submit their membership registers as a prerequisite for conducting valid party primaries.
The ruling overturned an earlier decision of the Court of Appeal that had nullified the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
INEC explained that the Supreme Court also upheld Item 2 of its Timetable and Schedule of Activities, which stipulated that political parties must submit their membership registers between April 21 and May 10, 2026.
The commission noted that the court made it clear that failure to comply with the statutory requirement renders defaulting political parties ineligible to sponsor candidates for elections.
Consequently, INEC said it relied on the Supreme Court’s decision, in line with Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, to exclude non-compliant parties from fielding candidates in the governorship elections.
The commission, however, clarified that the final list of presidential and National Assembly candidates had already been published on September 12, 2026, 13 days before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment.
It explained that the timing of the ruling was significant to the handling of the different categories of candidates, as the presidential and National Assembly lists had been published before the apex court’s decision.
INEC further reminded political parties that believe their candidates were wrongly omitted from the published lists that Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, provides a 14-day period from the date of publication to notify the commission.
According to the statement, the deadline for submitting such notifications is October 24, 2026.
The commission urged the public to take note of the legal position and the applicable timelines, assuring Nigerians of its commitment to transparency, the rule of law and the credibility of the electoral process.
The development highlights the importance of compliance with electoral laws and INEC’s timetable by political parties seeking to participate in upcoming elections, particularly regarding the submission of membership registers and the nomination of candidates.
The statement was signed by Haruna on behalf of the commission on October 13, 2026.
Clarify the affected governorship elections
Trim the repeated legal explanations
Lead with the October 24 deadline