The House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to audit candidates submitted by political parties for the 2027 general elections. It called for the disqualification of those whose names do not appear in the parties’ membership registers submitted to the commission.
Bayo Balogun, Chairman of the committee, signed a letter dated September 30, 2026 that made the demand. Journalists in Abuja received the letter on Tuesday. The committee drew INEC’s attention to Section 77 of the Electoral Act, 2026, particularly subsections 4 to 6.
The committee stated that the request became necessary following the Supreme Court’s judgment on the validity and constitutionality of Section 77(5). That subsection provides that only members whose names are contained in a political party’s register are eligible to vote or be voted for at the party’s primaries, congresses and conventions.
Balogun noted that INEC had previously expressed reservations about enforcing the provision because of pending judicial proceedings. He recalled a July 26, 2026 response signed by the Secretary to the Commission. In it, INEC explained its position in view of the then-pending court proceedings and the need to avoid administrative steps that a final judicial determination could affect.
However, Balogun said the Supreme Court’s decision had fundamentally altered the legal position. “The legal position has now materially changed,” Balogun said. He stressed that the Supreme Court, as the apex court in constitutional and electoral matters, had settled the dispute surrounding Section 77(5). According to him, the provision was “no longer operating within the uncertainty” that had previously surrounded its implementation.
He therefore urged INEC to “proceed, without further delay, to fully enforce Section 77(4-6) of the Electoral Act, 2026 and ensure that the provisions are given their intended effect in the administration and monitoring of political parties and their electoral activities.”
The committee specifically asked INEC to conduct an audit of the candidates presented by all registered political parties for the 2027 elections. It directed a comparison of their names with the membership registers earlier submitted to the commission. The exercise should establish whether the candidates complied with Section 77(5). Any political party or candidate found to have violated the provision should face disqualification.
“This will be a litmus test for the Commission and any culpable political party and candidates should be disqualified,” the committee said. It argued that an early audit would help prevent a fresh wave of post-primary litigation. “If diligently done, it will save the courts from flood of litigations that may arise from irregularities and non-adherence to Section 77(4-6) by political parties and their candidates,” it said.
The committee’s intervention came as political parties prepared for the 2027 general elections.
