Panic has seized the political arena.
With the 2027 general elections barely months away, hundreds of governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly candidates are now sweating over their fate after the Supreme Court restored deadly sections of the Electoral Act 2026.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is expected to break its silence at a world press conference on Tuesday, October 6 in Abuja.
The Landmine Sections
The apex court, in a landmark ruling, validated Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Act — sections the Court of Appeal had earlier voided for allegedly clashing with the 1999 Constitution.
The sections are brutal and simple: only members whose names are on a party’s register submitted to INEC as of May 2026 can vote or be voted for. Anyone who participated in more than one party primary risks automatic disqualification. Any name appearing in two party registers is in trouble.
The ruling has thrown parties into confusion, especially for serial defectors who jumped camps days to the INEC deadline for submission of membership registers.
ALSO READ: Supreme Court rejects Trump’s order, upholds birthright citizenship
INEC sources told The Nation that the commission has been bombarded with frantic calls from candidates, party chairmen and lobbyists begging to know who is affected.
Gombe Case Sends Chills
Tension worsened after a Federal High Court in Gombe last week nullified the APC primary that produced former Minority Whip, Ali Isa JC.
Justice Vera E. Ibrahim ruled that Ali Isa joined APC on April 20, 2026, but there was no proof his name was on the register INEC received by May 10 — 21 days before the May 16 primary as required by law. The court voided his candidacy and barred him from a fresh primary.
Section 77(4) is clear: “Each party shall make its membership register available to the Commission not later than 21 days before primaries… only members whose names are contained in the register shall be eligible to vote and be voted for.”
A party that fails to submit on time cannot field a candidate at all.
ALSO READ: ADC files fresh suit against Tinubu, cites NYSC name discrepancy
Wike Camp Unfazed
In Rivers, APC governorship hopeful Kingsley Chinda has been dragged into the storm. The Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners, ALDRAP, petitioned INEC to disqualify him, claiming his name was not on APC’s register.
But his camp is defiant.
Progressive Voices Network President, Michael Olajide, said Chinda defected April 23, 2026 and completed his online APC registration April 27, well before the deadline.
A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt adjourned a suit by Samuel Amatonjie challenging Chinda’s eligibility to November 4.
For now, anxiety hangs thick in Abuja. Tuesday’s INEC pronouncement may end many dreams before the ballot is even printed.
