The House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to audit the candidates submitted by political parties for the 2027 general elections and disqualify those whose names are not contained in the parties’ membership registers submitted to the commission.
The committee made the demand on Tuesday in a letter dated September 30, 2026, signed by its Chairman, Mr Bayo Balogun and made available to journalists in Abuja, drawing INEC’s attention to Section 77 of the Electoral Act, 2026, particularly subsections 4 to 6.
The committee said the request became necessary following the Supreme Court’s judgment on the validity and constitutionality of Section 77(5), which 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 said INEC had “previously expressed reservations about enforcing the provision because of pending judicial proceedings challenging its interpretation, constitutionality and enforceability.”
He recalled that in a July 26, 2026 response signed by the Secretary to the Commission, “INEC explained its position in view of the then-pending court proceedings and the need to avoid taking administrative steps that could subsequently be affected by a final judicial determination.”
However, the committee chairman said the Supreme Court’s decision had fundamentally altered the legal position.
“The legal position has now materially changed,” Balogun said, stressing that the Supreme Court, as the apex court in constitutional and electoral matters within its jurisdiction, had settled the dispute surrounding the relevant provisions of Section 77(5).
