The Senate has ruled out reopening the Electoral Act 2026 before the 2027 general elections, despite renewed concerns over political party membership registers and candidate nomination procedures following a recent Supreme Court judgment.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, said the National Assembly had concluded the legislative process on the electoral law and would not alter its provisions while political parties were preparing for the elections.
Adaramodu, who spoke in an exclusive interview with newsmen, explained that any review of the law would only be considered after the 2027 general elections.
His position follows a Supreme Court judgment overturning an earlier decision of the Court of Appeal that declared Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 unconstitutional.
In a unanimous decision delivered by a seven-member panel, the apex court restored the provisions governing political party membership registers and candidate nomination procedures.
The Supreme Court also set aside the Court of Appeal’s decision nullifying aspects of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The earlier ruling followed a suit filed by the Zenith Labour Party, which challenged the provisions on the grounds that they unconstitutionally interfered with the internal administration of political parties.
However, the Supreme Court overturned the decision, affirming the statutory provisions regulating party membership registers and candidate nomination methods.
Reiterating the Senate’s position, Adaramodu said the legislative process had been completed and the Electoral Act had received presidential assent, leaving no plan to revisit the law before the 2027 polls
