Political parties could be barred from fielding candidates in the 2027 general election if they fail to comply with Section 77 of the newly amended Electoral Act 2026.
On February 18, President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Act amendment bill into law after its passage by the national assembly. The law has since drawn fierce criticism from opposition parties, who describe key provisions as “obnoxious”.
What Section 77 Requires
Section 77(2) mandates all political parties to submit a comprehensive digital membership register to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at least 21 days before their primaries.
The register must contain detailed data on each member, including name, sex, date of birth, address, state, local government, ward, polling unit, national identity number and photograph. Parties must provide both hard and soft copies.
Under Section 77(5), only members whose names appear in the submitted register will be eligible to vote or be voted for during party primaries, congresses and conventions.
More critically, Section 77(7) states that any party that fails to submit its membership register within the stipulated timeframe “shall not be eligible to field a candidate”.
Key 2027 Election Dates
INEC has revised the 2027 election timetable, fixing:
- January 16, 2027 – Presidential and National Assembly elections
- February 6, 2027 – Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections
The commission directed parties to submit their membership registers by April 21 and conduct primaries between April 23 and May 30.
The new dates followed the repeal of the Electoral Act 2022 and the enactment of the Electoral Act 2026.
Opposition Cries Foul
Opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), have rejected Section 77 and the revised timetable, alleging the move is designed to shrink democratic space ahead of 2027.
Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC spokesperson, described the provision as a “deliberately constructed barrier” capable of excluding opposition parties from the electoral process.
He claimed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) began compiling its digital membership register as early as February 2025 nearly a year before the amendment became law.
“They knew what was coming,” Abdullahi said, arguing that opposition parties are now expected to complete a data-intensive nationwide registration exercise within one month or face exclusion.
In a separate reaction, Ose Anenih, a former chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), warned that opposition parties are constrained by the new requirements.
He said there is a “real possibility that only one or two parties will field candidates in 2027” if compliance proves unachievable.
With deadlines looming and political tensions rising, Section 77 of the Electoral Act 2026 may yet become a defining battleground ahead of the 2027 polls.
