In a decisive move to enforce party discipline and curb last-minute political carpet-crossing, the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately commence a comprehensive audit of political party membership registers across the nation.
The committee made the call during an oversight engagement in Abuja, charging the electoral umpire to strictly enforce the provisions of the newly enacted Electoral Act 2026. Under the current legal framework, any aspirant whose name is missing from their political party's official register submitted to INEC must be disqualified from contesting in the upcoming 2027 general elections.
Speaking on the imperative of the audit, lawmakers expressed concern over the persistent practice where politicians hijack party tickets without being legitimate, registered members. The committee emphasized that strict adherence to the register is non-negotiable if the country intends to deepen its democratic culture and protect internal party democracy.
The Electoral Act 2026 mandates that every registered political party submit a digital copy of its complete membership register to INEC within a stipulated timeframe before the conduct of primaries. According to the committee, defaulting on this provision undermines the integrity of the entire electoral timeline.
"We cannot continue to tolerate a system where individuals buy party nomination forms overnight without having their names on the party’s official membership rolls," a member of the committee noted. "INEC must exercise its regulatory oversight effectively. If a candidate's name is not in the certified register submitted to the commission, that candidate has no legal standing to run under that party's banner in 2027."
The lawmakers reminded the commission that the statutory deadline for submitting these registers is binding, warning that compliance will no longer be treated as a mere formality.
Political analysts have long argued that the lack of verifiable party registers contributes significantly to post-election litigation and internal party friction. By auditing these documents well ahead of party primaries, INEC can significantly reduce the flood of pre-election lawsuits that typically strain the judiciary following primary elections.
The committee urged INEC leadership to deploy robust technological infrastructure to verify the submitted membership lists accurately. This step, they noted, will prevent political parties from altering membership records retroactively to accommodate high-profile defectors.
As preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum, all eyes are now on INEC to see how swiftly it will implement the committee's recommendations. Political parties across the country are equally expected to clean up their administrative records and ensure full compliance with the statutory requirements to safeguard their candidates' eligibility.