APC Presses INEC to Enforce Digital Membership Rules Before 2027 Polls
APC wants INEC to apply Electoral Act sanctions where parties fail to file required digital membership records before primaries.
The All Progressives Congress has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to strictly enforce new membership-register requirements ahead of the 2027 general elections, including consequences that could prevent non-compliant political parties from presenting candidates.
The request was contained in a letter sent on Friday to INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan. APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda and National Secretary Senator Ajibola Basiru signed the correspondence, which followed a September 24, 2026 Supreme Court decision arising from a dispute involving INEC and the Zenith Labour Party.
At the centre of the APC's request is Section 77 of the Electoral Act 2026. The party wants the electoral commission to determine whether each political organisation supplied its digital membership register within the required period before conducting primaries, congresses or conventions. The relevant deadline cited in the letter is at least 21 days before such internal party exercises take place.
APC also asked INEC to ensure that participation in internal elections is restricted to people contained in the membership record officially submitted to the commission. In its interpretation of the legislation, a party should not be permitted to rely on a different register when determining who can vote or seek election during its internal processes.
The governing party based its demand on the Supreme Court's treatment of Section 77. According to the letter, the apex court upheld the provision after overturning an earlier Court of Appeal decision affecting Sections 77(5) to 77(7), Section 84(2) and part of INEC's revised timetable for the 2027 elections.
APC argued that the legal consequence attached to Section 77(7) can extend to a party losing the ability to sponsor candidates where the statutory requirements for submitting its digital register have not been satisfied. It therefore urged INEC to determine compliance before accepting candidates from affected parties rather than treating the filing requirement as an administrative formality.
The party additionally relied on Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, in arguing that public authorities must give effect to Supreme Court decisions. Because INEC was involved in the litigation, APC maintained that the commission is required to reflect the judgment in how it administers the electoral process.
No political party was identified in the source as having already been disqualified under the provision. The APC's letter is therefore a request for enforcement ahead of the 2027 contests, rather than an announcement that INEC has excluded any party. The governing party said consistent application of the membership rules would support transparency, lawful internal elections and accountability within Nigeria's political parties.