No Electoral Act Review Before 2027 Poll, Senate Declares

The Senate has ruled out any immediate review of the Electoral Act 2026, insisting that the legislation will remain the legal framework for the conduct of the 2027 general elections.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, said the National Assembly had concluded the electoral reform process and would not amend the law in the middle of preparations for the 2027 elections.

Adaramodu stated this in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH while reacting to questions on whether lawmakers would revisit the Electoral Act following the recent Supreme Court judgment and concerns raised by some political parties over certain provisions of the law.

He said the National Assembly had already completed the electoral reform process and that the amended law was specifically designed to govern the 2027 elections.

“We have already done the electoral reform and passed that one. It is meant for the 2027 elections. It is only after it that we can consider it for a review if there is any necessity or calls for amendments and rejigging. That’s when it can come up.

“Anybody who has any petition against it should submit to the Senate. But for us at the Senate and National Assembly, we have passed the Electoral Act into law. It has been assented to, and it is now in use,” Adaramodu said.

The senator argued that changing the electoral law at this stage would amount to altering the rules after the electoral process had already commenced.

“As you know, it is through the Electoral Act that parties produced the candidates who will contest in January and February. So, are you now going to shift the goalposts in the middle of the game? Are you going to play a football match in reverse? Do you tell them to walk backwards instead of running forward?

“How do you halt an Electoral Act that is already in use for a new one? We are not going to do that,” he added.

Adaramodu’s position came days after the Supreme Court restored Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, which had earlier been declared invalid by the Court of Appeal.

A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court, in a unanimous judgment, set aside the Court of Appeal’s decision and held that the disputed provisions were not inconsistent with the Constitution.

Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) deal with political parties’ membership registers and participation in primaries, while Section 84(2) provides for direct primaries or consensus as methods of selecting candidates for elections.

The Supreme Court judgment, however, triggered fresh questions over the possible implications of the restored provisions for candidates whose party membership, waivers or nomination processes could come under scrutiny.

Despite the concerns, political parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party, Allied People’s Movement and Labour Party, have maintained that their candidates remain eligible following the September 24, 2026, judgment of the apex court.

Some affected candidates and political parties have also rejected suggestions that the judgment invalidated their candidacies.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress, for instance, dismissed concerns that the judgment could affect the candidacies of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege.

Speaking in an earlier exclusive interview with The PUNCH, the NDC National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, said the judgment should not be subjected to individual interpretations, arguing that anyone challenging the eligibility of a candidate should approach the courts.

The Supreme Court ruling followed a legal dispute over the constitutionality of the affected provisions. The Court of Appeal had, in July, declared Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) unconstitutional, prompting the Independent National Electoral Commission to appeal to the Supreme Court.

With the apex court restoring the provisions and the Senate maintaining that the Electoral Act 2026 will govern the 2027 elections, Adaramodu said any further amendment to the law would have to wait until after the election.