All eyes will be on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, today, Tuesday, as the commission holds a national stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja to mark 100 days to the 2027 general elections.
INEC said the meeting will provide updates on the voters’ register, candidate nominations, election logistics and measures being adopted to protect the integrity of the polls.
This is even as the political fate of several high-profile candidates who changed parties ahead of the 2027 general elections may come under renewed scrutiny.
DAILY POST reports that among those whose candidacies have attracted attention are Rivers State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Kingsley Chinda, Delta Central senatorial candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Ovie Omo-Agege; former Cross River State governor and Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, presidential candidate, Donald Duke and former Delta State House of Assembly Speaker, Victor Ochei.
The issue stems from a recent Supreme Court judgment which restored key provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 dealing with political party membership registers and the nomination of candidates.
Recall that the apex court, in a unanimous judgment delivered on September 25, upheld INEC’s appeal and restored Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act, provisions which had earlier been struck out by the Court of Appeal.
The development has triggered questions over the eligibility of politicians who moved to new political parties after their previous parties had concluded, or were in the process of concluding, their nomination exercises.
DAILY POST reported that the controversy followed a Federal High Court judgment delivered in May, which invalidated aspects of INEC’s timetable for the 2027 elections.
The court had ruled that INEC could not shorten statutory periods provided by the Electoral Act for political parties to conduct primaries and submit, withdraw or replace candidates.
It also faulted INEC’s deadline for political parties to submit their membership registers.
The judgment created a window of uncertainty in the political process, with politicians changing parties and seeking fresh opportunities to contest under different platforms.
However, the legal position subsequently changed.
On July 16, the Court of Appeal overturned the Federal High Court’s decision and restored INEC’s timetable, holding that the commission acted within its powers in issuing the electoral guidelines.
The Supreme Court went further in September by restoring the disputed provisions of the Electoral Act concerning membership registers and candidate nominations.
Although INEC has not indicated that it intends to announce the disqualification of any particular candidate at the meeting, the commission’s position on nominations could provide important clues about what lies ahead for candidates whose emergence followed controversial defections, waivers and party primaries.
