Supreme Court Judgement on Electoral Act 2026: Lawyer Cautions INEC Against Disqualifying Candidates

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has been cautioned about disqualifying candidates for the 2027 elections based on the recent Supreme Court judgement asserting key provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 on the issue of submission of membership register of political parties and the conduct of party primaries.

One of Nigeria’s leading legal practitioners, MONDAY ONYEKACHI UBANI, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, threw the caution in reaction to a purported letter to INEC by the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Amendment, urging the Commission to disqualify candidates whose names have already been published.

In a statement on his social media handle, UBANI noted that the Committee letter cannot amend the Electoral Act, create a new power of disqualification, or enlarge the orders of the Supreme Court.

UBANI is of the view that the Supreme Court did not order INEC to disqualify candidates, just as he questioned the authority of the House Committee based on which it seeks to achieve that through a letter.