The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is expected to take centre stage on Tuesday as it convenes a national stakeholders’ conference in Abuja, with the meeting coming 100 days before the 2027 general elections.
The electoral body is expected to brief political parties and other stakeholders on developments concerning the voters’ register, submission of candidates, electoral preparations and measures designed to ensure credible and transparent polls.
The meeting is also attracting attention because of possible implications for several prominent politicians who switched political platforms ahead of the 2027 elections.
Among the politicians whose candidacies have generated interest are Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Kingsley Chinda; Delta Central senatorial candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Ovie Omo-Agege; former Cross River State governor and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, Donald Duke; and former Delta State House of Assembly Speaker, Victor Ochei.
The uncertainty is linked to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court, which reinstated important sections of the Electoral Act 2026 relating to party membership records and the nomination of candidates.
On September 25, the apex court unanimously upheld INEC’s appeal and reinstated Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act. The provisions had previously been removed by the Court of Appeal.
The ruling has raised fresh concerns over politicians who defected to other parties after their former parties had already conducted, or were preparing to conduct, their nomination exercises.
The controversy can be traced to a Federal High Court ruling delivered in May, which questioned parts of INEC’s timetable for the 2027 elections.
The court held that the electoral commission could not reduce the periods prescribed by law for parties to conduct primaries or submit, withdraw and replace candidates. It also criticised the deadline set by INEC for political parties to provide their membership registers.
The judgment subsequently created uncertainty within the political landscape, with several politicians changing parties and pursuing nominations under new platforms.
However, the legal situation later shifted. On July 16, the Court of Appeal overturned the Federal High Court ruling and upheld INEC’s timetable, determining that the commission had acted within its statutory authority when it released its electoral guidelines.
The Supreme Court later reinforced the position in September by restoring the contested provisions dealing with party membership registers and candidate nominations.
Although INEC has not announced plans to disqualify any candidate at Tuesday’s meeting, its clarification on the nomination process could offer an indication of how the commission intends to handle candidates whose emergence followed defections, waivers or disputed party primaries.
Chinda’s candidacy in Rivers State remains one of the closely watched cases. The APC candidate, who is associated with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, emerged as the party’s governorship candidate on May 21, 2026, shortly after the Federal High Court ruling.
However, the Supreme Court judgment did not specifically declare Chinda or any other candidate ineligible. His supporters have maintained that the ruling does not automatically invalidate his nomination.
In Delta State, Omo-Agege faces similar scrutiny. He contested the APC’s Delta Central senatorial primary in May but was defeated by Ede Dafinone. He subsequently resigned from the APC on May 22 and joined the NDC.
The NDC granted him a waiver to participate in its Delta Central primary, where he eventually secured the ticket through a consensus arrangement.
Questions have now emerged over whether the restored provisions of the Electoral Act could affect his nomination, particularly regarding membership records and eligibility to participate in party primaries.
Ochei, who also defected from the APC to the NDC after the party’s nomination process, received a waiver and secured the NDC’s Delta North senatorial ticket. His candidacy could consequently face similar legal questions.
