By Lanre Oloyede
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately enforce the Supreme Court judgment mandating strict compliance with statutory requirements for political parties’ membership registers ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party made the request in a letter dated October 9, 2026, addressed to the INEC Chairman in Abuja and signed by its National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and National Secretary, Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru.
The APC said the apex court’s judgment, delivered on September 24, 2026, in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, Suit No. SC/CV/495/2026, affirmed the validity of Section 77 of the Electoral Act 2026, which regulates membership registers for party primaries, congresses and conventions.
The party maintained that the judgment, which set aside a Court of Appeal decision nullifying relevant provisions of the Act, established clear legal obligations for political parties regarding the submission and use of their membership registers.
Under Section 77(4), political parties are required to submit their membership registers to INEC not later than 21 days before their primaries, congresses or conventions.
Sections 77(5) and 77(6) further stipulate that only members whose names appear on the submitted register are eligible to vote or be voted for, while prohibiting parties from using alternative registers for such exercises.
According to the APC, the Supreme Court clarified that failure to submit a digital membership register within the prescribed period could result in a political party being barred from fielding candidates in the general elections, where the statutory conditions for that consequence are established.
The party argued that the requirements were designed to strengthen internal democracy and ensure transparent, fair and verifiable processes for selecting candidates.
It also cited Section 228(a) of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the National Assembly to enact laws promoting internal democracy within political parties, as well as Section 287(1), which requires the enforcement of Supreme Court decisions by all authorities and persons.
The APC stressed that INEC, having been a party to the suit, was directly bound by the judgment and had a constitutional responsibility to implement its provisions.
