Political parties risk being barred from fielding candidates in the 2027 general election if they fail to comply with section 77 of the Electoral Act 2026. The law, signed by President Bola Tinubu on February 18, introduces strict requirements for party membership verification, which opposition parties have strongly criticised.
Section 77(2) mandates that parties submit a detailed digital membership register to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at least 21 days before their primaries. The register must include members’ names, sex, date of birth, addresses, state, local government, ward, polling unit, national identity numbers, and photographs, in both hard and digital copies. Section 77(5) further stipulates that only registered members are eligible to vote or be voted for in party primaries, congresses, and conventions. Section 77(7) warns that parties failing to submit the register on time “shall not be eligible to field a candidate.”
INEC has set key dates under the revised election timetable, now scheduling the presidential and national assembly elections for January 16, 2027, and governorship and state assembly polls for February 6, 2027. The commission has directed parties to submit membership registers by April 21, 2026, and conduct primaries between April 23 and May 30. The timetable was adjusted following the repeal of the Electoral Act 2022 and the enactment of the 2026 law.
Opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), have criticised section 77 as a deliberate attempt to narrow democratic space. ADC spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi described the provision as a “deliberately constructed barrier” likely to exclude smaller parties. He alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) began compiling its digital membership register in February 2025, giving it nearly a year’s head start compared with the one-month window now required for other parties.
Ose Anenih, a former PDP chieftain, warned that opposition parties are “constrained” by the law, suggesting that “only one or two parties may be able to field candidates in 2027.” The debate highlights growing concerns over the practicality and fairness of section 77 as Nigeria approaches its next general elections.
