2027: INEC has no power to disqualify candidates – Oba Maduabuchi

Nigerian legal expert SAN Oba Maduabuchi has stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lacks constitutional authority to disqualify candidates for elections. This assertion comes after INEC released its final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections, omitting several contenders. According to Oba Maduabuchi, to comprehend the powers of an organization like INEC, one must consult the Electoral Act and the Nigerian Constitution, both of which clearly delineate the commission's obligations.

He emphasized that neither document grants INEC the right to deem a candidate ineligible or to determine who may participate in an election, suggesting that the commission acted improperly. In an interview with Arise TV, Oba Maduabuchi remarked, "The police, Army, and INEC are statutory creations. They are created by law, and that law defines the scope of their powers.

Therefore, to ascertain what a specific body can do, you must refer to its founding statute. In the case of INEC, you must examine the Electoral Act and the Nigerian Constitution. There is no provision in the 1999 Nigerian Constitution authorizing INEC to disqualify any individual. Similarly, there is no provision in the Electoral Act that confers upon INEC the authority to decide an individual's qualification to contest an election. Thus, INEC is, to put it mildly, ill-advised in its actions."