The Independent National Electoral Commission has commenced a review of the Supreme Court judgment on key provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, a development that could affect the eligibility of some candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Tuesday during the commission’s World Press Conference in Abuja.
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Amupitan said the commission had received complaints from political parties, aggrieved aspirants and members of the National Assembly concerning the implications of the Supreme Court judgment in the case involving INEC and the Zenith Labour Party.
The Supreme Court, in its September 24, 2026 judgment, upheld the constitutionality of Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026. The court also upheld INEC’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 elections.
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According to Amupitan, INEC only received the certified true copy of the judgment on Tuesday and had begun examining its provisions before deciding on the appropriate steps to take.
The review comes amid questions surrounding the eligibility of some political candidates who moved to new parties after their former parties had already conducted or commenced their nomination processes.
Among those whose candidacies have attracted attention are Rivers State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Kingsley Chinda; Delta Central senatorial candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Ovie Omo-Agege; former Cross River State governor and Peoples Redemption Party presidential candidate, Donald Duke; and former Delta State House of Assembly Speaker, Victor Ochei.
INEC’s review is expected to clarify how the Supreme Court ruling affects the nomination and eligibility of candidates whose political movements occurred during or after the nomination processes of their former parties.
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