Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
The Senate has ruled out amending the Electoral Act 2026 before the 2027 general elections, insisting that any review of the law would come after the polls.
Senator Yemi Adaramodu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, said the National Assembly had completed the legislative process and would not reopen the law while political parties were preparing for the elections.
Speaking in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, Adaramodu said stakeholders could submit petitions to the Senate, but any proposed amendments would be considered after the elections if necessary.
“We have already done the electoral reform and passed that one; it is meant for the 2027 elections.
“It is only after the elections that we can consider a review if there is any necessity or calls for amendments and rejigging.
“Anybody who has any petition against it should submit it to the Senate, but for us at the Senate and National Assembly, we have passed the electoral bill into law,” he said.
The Senate’s position follows a Supreme Court judgment that reinstated provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 regulating party membership registers and candidate nomination procedures.
The apex court, in a unanimous decision by a seven-member panel, overturned an earlier Court of Appeal ruling that had declared Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) unconstitutional.
The Court of Appeal had ruled in favour of a challenge by the Zenith Labour Party, which argued that the provisions unlawfully interfered with the internal administration of political parties. The Supreme Court restored the provisions and set aside the lower court’s decision on aspects of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s 2027 election timetable.
Adaramodu warned that reopening the law at this stage could disrupt preparations, noting that political parties had already used its provisions to select candidates for the forthcoming elections.
“Parties have used the law to produce candidates who are going to contest in January and February.
“So, are you now going to shift the goalpost in the middle of the game?
“How do you halt an electoral act that is already in use for a new one? We are not going to do that,” he said.
Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) regulate party membership registers, including the requirement that only members listed in registers submitted to INEC may participate in primaries, congresses and conventions. Section 84(2) provides for direct primaries and consensus as methods of candidate nomination.
The ruling has renewed attention on how the restored provisions will be applied, particularly in disputes involving membership records, waivers and candidate nomination processes ahead of the 2027 elections.
