Opposition parties hasten to INEC deadline on membership

By Andrew Agbese, Baba Martins, Musa Luka Musa & Sani Ibrahim Paki, Kano

Major opposition parties in Nigeria are currently struggling to meet up with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) deadline for the update of their membership register ahead the 2027 general elections.

Having comprehensive membership register is one of the requirements before parties could conduct primaries under the 2026 Electoral Act.

INEC had on Friday, reviewed her timetable for the 2027 elections to avoid having the elections fall within the Ramadan period.

The review has however shortened the time for the parties to prepare for primaries.

What the Act says

The 2026 Electoral Act stipulates that the mode of primaries in section (S.84(2)) is by direct primaries or consensus only as indirect primaries have been removed.

The 2026 Electoral Act requires each political party to submit its digital membership register to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at least 21 days prior to any primary, congress, or convention while non-compliance will result in disqualification from fielding candidates.

Conduct of party primaries, including resolution of disputes arising from there, going by the 2026 Electoral Act will commence on 23rd April 2026 and end on 30th May 2026.

The Act also stipulates that the register must for every member captured, contain the name, sex, date of birth, address, state, local government area (LGA), ward, polling unit, National Identification Number (NIN), and photograph. It also states that submissions must include both hard and soft copies in the specified format.

The adjustment, our correspondents learned, has caught the opposition political parties unaware as most of them according to our findings, are yet to update their voters’ registers in line with the provisions of the 2026 Electoral Act.

Executive Director of YIAGA Africa, Samson Itodo in a memo to political parties after the revised timetable was released, expressed concern that most political parties do not possess a digital membership register that meets all requirements outlined in the Electoral Act 2026.

He said given the strict 21-day submission deadline and the limited time before primaries, parties are advised to promptly update, digitize, and verify their membership registers to ensure compliance as non-compliance will result in serious consequences, including disqualification from fielding candidates in the 2027 elections.

Our correspondents observed apart from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the African Democratic Congress, ADC which had earlier in the year commenced membership registration exercises, many of the other parties are yet to do so.

APC registration since 2025

The All Progressives Congress (APC) commenced its membership registration since January, 2025 from the ward and local government offices and started another round of membership e-registration between December 2025 and January 2026.

APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka had explained that members are expected to validate their membership, while new and intending members are encouraged to register and join the party.

He said the e-Registration exercise is designed to digitise the Party’s membership register, ensure the integrity of records, provide efficient access to membership data for planning and management decisions, promote internal democracy, and strengthen APC’s commitment to democratic innovation in Nigeria.

ADC continues free online registration

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) also announced the commencement of its free online membership registration nationwide.

The party said the move is to build on the momentum of its membership registration and revalidation exercise launched last month.

Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the party, said the new digital platform available online is crucial to the party’s presentation for the 2027 general elections as well as its various congresses and conventions, adding that the manual registration will continue simultaneously across the country.

He said, ADC has officially commenced free online membership registration across Nigeria, following the successful kick-off of its nationwide registration and revalidation in Abuja last month.

Accordingly, only individuals whose membership details are fully captured and verified in the Party’s official digital register will be eligible to vote or be voted for in the Party’s primaries.

The party said since the launch of the physical and grassroots membership exercise in February, we have recorded strong interest from Nigerians across states and the diaspora.

“Apart from meeting legal requirements, introduction of the free online option is designed to remove barriers to entry, simplify enrolment, and ensure that every eligible Nigerian who wishes to identify with the ADC can do so seamlessly and securely.

“Members who have registered on the Party’s previous platform are also required to revalidate their membership on the new digital portal, as additional mandatory information is now required to ensure full compliance with the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines.

ADC emphasised that the exercise is without prejudice to “our firm objections to the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 that give undue advantage to the ruling party as well as the consequential INEC timetable.

African Democratic Congress remains committed to building a modern, inclusive, and citizen-driven political movement capable of delivering credible leadership and a better Nigeria that works for all.”

PDP’s to commence today

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at the weekend announced the commencement of digital membership registration.

The exercise will begin on Monday, March 2, 2026 and will last for three weeks, according to a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary Comrade Ini Ememobong and made available to journalists in Abuja.

The opposition party explained that the essence of the exercise is to compile the digital membership register in compliance with the Electoral Act 2026, “which requires all political parties to submit the digital register of their members to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”

According to the statement, registration will be held every day (except on Sundays) at all ward, chapter and state offices of the party, adding, however, that special cases would be handled at the National Secretariat, throughout the registration period.

The party said a special committee headed by the National Organising Secretary, Hon. Theophilus Daka Shan, has been set up to oversee the exercise and handle any complaints that may emanate therefrom.

NNPP upbeat

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) on its part said it has commenced the updating of its membership register ahead of the  party primaries, assuring that it will meet the deadline set in the revised timetable issued by INEC.

Speaking on concerns that the short timeline may affect opposition parties’ preparations, NNPP spokesperson, Ladipo Johnson, said although the time was tight, the party would complete the process and transmit its register to INEC as required.

“We’ve seen the revised timetable by INEC and, as we said in our joint statement with the ATC, the time is short. It is all designed to stifle the organisation of the opposition, but notwithstanding, we believe that we will meet up and do the needful,” he said.

Johnson disclosed that the party had already begun a fresh membership drive and the updating of its registers nationwide.

“The updating of all our registers, the party register, we have started that, and we will be finished in time to transmit to INEC,” he said.

On whether there was enough time to complete the exercise before the primaries, he admitted the challenge but expressed confidence in the party’s ability to meet up.

“There’s not enough time, but we will meet up,” he said.

Responding to a question on whether the ruling party might be ahead in preparations, Johnson alleged that the system was skewed in favour of those in power.

“Everything they’ve done is to their advantage. They know what they’re doing; they are trying to make it difficult for the opposition parties. So, yes, it is to their advantage” but maintained that voters would ultimately determine the outcome of the elections.

ADC rejects new INEC timetable, alleges boobytraps

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has however rejected the Independent National Electoral Commission’s updated 2026–2027 electoral timetable, saying it contains boobytraps that could aid President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s plot to be returned unopposed in 2027.

This was disclosed by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the party in a statement on Friday.

The party said it has flagged the new compliance requirements under Sections 77 and 82 of the Electoral Act 2026, which “unfairly burden opposition parties while giving undue advantage to the ruling party.”

ADC said the requirement for political parties to submit a comprehensive digital membership register by April 2, 2026 ahead of primaries scheduled between 23 April and 30 May 2026 creates a near impossible hurdle that could exclude other parties from fielding candidates.

The ADC argued that with this requirement, among others contained in the “obnoxious Electoral Act 2026, the so-called reform has effectively become an instrument of exclusion to clear the field for President Tinubu.”

The party said what has been presented as a routine administrative schedule of the upcoming general elections, is a “ political instrument carefully structured to narrow democratic space and strengthen the hand of the incumbent administration ahead of the 2027 general elections.”

ADC said according to the timetable, party primaries are to be conducted between 23 April and 30 May 2026, just 55 to 92 days from today.

“However; what is more significant is that pursuant to Section 77(4) of the Electoral Act 2026, political parties are required to submit their digital membership registers to INEC not later than 2 April 2026. That is only 34 days away. Section 77(7) further provides that any party that fails to submit its membership register within the stipulated time “shall not be eligible to field a candidate for that election.” These are not house-keeping rules. They are deliberately constructed barriers to exclude opposition from partaking in the coming election.

“It is significant to note also that Section 77(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 prescribes that the digital register of members must contain their name, sex, date of birth, address, state, local government, ward, polling unit, National Identification Number (NIN), and photograph in both hard and soft copies, while Section 77(6) prohibits the use of any pre-existing register other than the one that contains the specific information above.

“According to this law, failure to meet these requirements would result in disqualification.”

The party explained that what makes this requirement of digital membership particularly insidious is that the ruling party had commenced the process of this registration since February 2025, long before it became a requirement of the law. This is not a product of foresight, but insider knowledge. They knew what was coming. They therefore had one whole year to carry out an exercise that they expect other political parties to execute in one month, during which they must collect, process and collate vast digital data and transmit same to INEC by the deadline under the threat of total exclusion. “This is more or less a practical impossibility.” ADC said.

The ADC said it has joined other opposition political parties to reject the corrupted Electoral Act 2026 and the INEC time-table, “which is based on the said law therefore stands equally rejected for the same reason that, put together, they appear designed to serve President Tinubu’s automatic self-succession project.”

ADC promised that it will not do anything that will appear to confer legitimacy on a “fraudulent system,” adding “We are reviewing our options, and will make this known in the coming days.”

Smaller parties may struggle to meet the deadline – Political analyst

A Kano-based political analyst, Dr Kabiru Sa’id Sufi, has warned that political parties may struggle to meet the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) new timetable requiring submission of membership registers before primaries.

Dr Sufi, who also lectures at Kano State College of Arts, Science and Remedial Studies, said many parties were caught unprepared by the adjustment and would now have to “go back to the drawing board quickly” to comply.

He explained that while larger parties with wider structures might cope better, even they face challenges aligning with the new deadlines. Smaller parties with limited geographical spread, he noted, would be hit harder.

On whether the change disadvantages opposition parties, Dr Sufi said: “Yes, I think since some of them are not aware and it may not be in accordance with their initial timetable, it will be a disadvantage to them. That is why they are complaining.”

Asked if the ruling party could benefit, he remarked that if the timetable coincides with its internal plans, “one would say that yes, it has saved them.”

Dr Sufi also expressed concern over the rescheduling of the presidential election to January, saying the backward shift from the usual February date would affect preparations across board.

“In the past we have seen dates being shifted forward but not backward. Bringing it backward will definitely affect the preparations of all political parties,” he said.

He added that while the ruling party might leverage incumbency advantage, others striving to provide a level playing field for their candidates would be “seriously affected.”

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