Parties must submit registers 21 days before primaries — SAN

An advocate of Nigeria, Oba Maduabuchi SAN, has stated that political parties must submit their membership registers to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at least 21 days prior to holding primaries, following a recent ruling by the Supreme Court on the Electoral Act 2026. The Supreme Court's decision, which overturned the Court of Appeal's earlier ruling, affirmed INEC's constitutional authority in organizing and supervising elections.

Maduabuchi emphasized that the requirement for parties to submit membership registers did not interfere with their internal affairs. The Supreme Court's ruling stated that only members whose names appear on a party's membership register submitted to INEC 21 days before a primary, congress, or convention can participate. Political parties are free to determine their membership, while INEC needs the registers to identify eligible participants.

Maduabuchi explained that parties could still decide how candidates would emerge as long as they complied with the law. The judgment could impact those who acted on the earlier Court of Appeal decision, and the Supreme Court's seven-member panel unanimously restored the provisions of the Electoral Act relating to political party membership registers.