…as INEC announces decision following last week’s Supreme Court judgment on party primaries
Independent National Electoral Commission is expected to announce its decision concerning candidates of political parties affected by last week’s judgement of the Supreme Court on party primaries today.
Last Thursday, the Supreme Court affirmed the validity of sections 77 and 84 of the Electoral Act, 2026 (as amended) on eligibility to contest in primary elections based on appeals by the Zenith Labour Party and the Social Democratic Party.
It was reliably gathered from sources at INEC that the electoral body may announce its position on the matter today after obtaining a Certified True Copy of the judgement.
Later this morning, INEC chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, will address a world press conference on sundry matters.
During the press conference, he will be expected to state INEC’s level of preparedness towards the 2027 elections and also clarify issues that are agitating the minds of people, particularly the fate of candidates in respect to the Supreme Court judgement.
Since last week’s judgement of the apex court, there have been contending views over its implication on candidates who crossed over to new parties after they failed to secure the tickets in their previous parties.
For instance, in Gombe, there are fears over the fate of Prof. Isa Ali Pantami due to the timing of his defection from the All Progressives Congress to the Peoples Democratic Party where he eventually secured the ticket to contest the 2027 governorship election.
It was learnt that Pantami withdrew from the APC governorship primary on May 19, resigned from the APC and joined the PDP, whose register was supposed to have closed and submitted to INEC on May 10 while Pantami was still vying for the governorship ticket of the Gombe APC.
But a chieftain of the PDP in the state, who declined to be identified, said the Supreme Court judgement only affirmed the constitutionality of the sections, “it did not make any factual finding that Pantami was not on the register.
“Also, the Federal High Court judgement has nullified the earlier primary election conducted on May 26 and ordered for a fresh one, which was equally conducted on September 29.
“Therefore, at the time the new primary election was conducted, Pantami had spent about 156 days in the PDP, which made the supreme court judgement not binding on him.”
Similarly, in Niger State, fresh concerns have arisen over the fate of Muhammad Nami, the PDP governorship candidate.
Lawyers have opined that the apex court’s judgement exposed Nami’s PDP candidacy to legal scrutiny if evidence establishes that his name was not contained in the party’s membership register submitted to INEC within the period prescribed by law.
APC supporters allege that Nami was an APC senatorial aspirant in 2026 before his nomination as the PDP’s Niger governorship candidate on August 29, 2026, following the withdrawal by the PDP gubernatorial candidate.
But some analysts, including Nami’s supporters, are of the opinion that the legal position is not conclusive because Section 33 of the Electoral Act provides a framework for the replacement of candidates following withdrawal or death.
The Supreme Court judgement has equally generated mixed reactions over the candidacy of former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, in Nasarawa State.
The former IGP, substituted the Social Democratic Party governorship candidate in Nasarawa State, Adamu Angba, after the latter withdrew from the race.
But supporters of the ex-IGP and his campaign organisation have countered the claim, arguing that the former police boss was not a party to the suit and that the court made no consequential order regarding his participation in the election.
They insist the process that brought the former IGP as SDP governorship candidate was legitimate.
INEC’s official timetable provides for the publication of the final list of candidates for the Presidential and National Assembly elections not later than September 12, while the governorship and state Assembly final list is scheduled for October 10, 2026.
Section 77 of the 2026 Electoral Act states in part that each political party shall make its membership register available to INEC not later than 21 days before the date fixed for the party primaries, congresses or conventions and that only members whose names are contained in the register shall be eligible to vote and be voted for in party primaries, congresses and conventions.
It also states that a political party shall not use any other register for party primaries, congresses and conventions except the register submitted to the Commission. And that a party that fails to submit the membership register within the stipulated time shall not be eligible to field a candidate for that election.
