INEC Drops Governorship Candidates Over Membership Register Defaults, Cites Supreme Court Ruling
ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has justified the omission of several candidates from the final list of the 2027 Governorship Election, stating that it strictly complied with a recent landmark judgment by the Supreme Court.
In a press statement released on 13th October, 2026, by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, the electoral body explained that its actions were guided by Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which makes Supreme Court decisions binding on all authorities.
The controversy stems from the apex court’s 24th September, 2026 ruling in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party (Appeal No. SC/CV/495/2026). The Supreme Court overturned a previous Court of Appeal judgment and upheld Section 77(5)-(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026, declaring that the submission of political party membership registers is a mandatory prerequisite for conducting valid party primaries.
According to the Commission, the excluded political parties failed to submit their membership registers within the official window of 21st April to 10th May 2026, as mandated by Item No. 2 of INEC’s Timetable and Schedule of Activities. The Supreme Court ruled that any party failing to meet this deadline is automatically ineligible to sponsor candidates for the election.
Addressing questions on why the restrictions did not affect other races, INEC noted that the final list for Presidential and National Assembly candidates had already been published on 12th September, 2026—nearly two weeks before the Supreme Court delivered its binding judgment.
Aggrieved political parties still have a narrow window to contest the omissions. Under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, parties that believe their candidates were wrongly left off the list have 14 days from the date of publication to formally notify the Commission.
The strict deadline for these notifications is 24th October 2026.INEC concluded its statement by assuring the public of its unwavering commitment to transparency, the rule of law, and maintaining the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process.
