Tension is mounting among political parties and candidates affected by the recent Supreme Court judgment, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prepares to publish the final list of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates on October 10.
The uncertainty persisted on Sunday as INEC said it was yet to receive the certified true copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court judgment.
The commission is scheduled to meet with political parties and other stakeholders on Tuesday, October 6.
INEC’s National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the commission had applied for the document.
He told Vanguard that the CTC had not reached the commission as of Sunday.
“The commission is yet to receive the certified true copy of the Supreme Court judgement. Hopefully we will do so tomorrow, (Monday),” he said.
Haruna added that INEC could not take a position until it received and studied the judgment.
The commission’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, also confirmed that INEC had applied for the CTC.
She said the commission would give its position after examining the implications of the judgment.
INEC had earlier announced that it would hold a World Press Conference and National Stakeholders Engagement on Tuesday, October 6, as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.
However, the commission has not disclosed whether the Supreme Court judgment will be a major focus of the meeting.
The uncertainty stems from the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026 ruling on Section 77 of the Electoral Act 2026.
The apex court set aside the July 16 judgment of the Court of Appeal, which had declared several provisions of the Electoral Act unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court ruling effectively restored the requirement for political parties to submit verified membership registers to INEC at least 21 days before conducting primaries, congresses or conventions.
Under the provision, only members whose names appear on the submitted register are eligible to vote or contest at such party activities.
Several political parties, however, conducted congresses and primaries while the Court of Appeal judgment was still in force.
The Supreme Court’s decision has therefore created uncertainty over the validity of some of those processes and the candidates that emerged from them.
Opposition parties are reportedly reviewing their membership registers against the dates on which some candidates defected to their parties.
With the October 10 deadline for publication of the final candidate list approaching, affected candidates are anxiously awaiting INEC’s position.
For now, the commission says it will only make a pronouncement after receiving and studying the certified Supreme Court judgment.
