Electoral Act: INEC Reviews S’Court Verdict As Chinda, Pantami, Ex-IGP Insist On Candidacy

BY Ademu Idakwo, Anaya Onukwugha, Ahmed Tahir, Babaji Babaji

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will review the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the recent Supreme Court judgement on disputed provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 before deciding on its implementation.

The Commission’s Deputy Director, Voter Education and Publicity, Wilfred Ifogah, disclosed this yesterday while responding to an inquiry by LEADERSHIP on the implications of the judgement.

This comes as some candidates whose mandates appear to be at stake following the apex court’s recent ruling have insisted that they are not affected by the verdict. They spoke to LEADERSHIP yesterday.

Among them are former Inspector-General of Police and SDP governorship candidate in Nasarawa State, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu; former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy and Gombe PDP governorship candidate, Professor Isa Ali Pantami; and APC governorship candidate in Rivers State, Hon. Kingsley Chinda.

However, Ifogah said the electoral commission would first receive the CTC of the judgement before meeting to review its contents and determine its next steps.

He said, “The Commission has to meet after receiving the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment. If you are asking for my opinion on the judgement, I don’t think I have anything to say, but I think the Commission will meet and review it, then come up with a decision.”

The Supreme Court had on Thursday upheld INEC’s appeal against the July 16 judgement of the Court of Appeal, which had voided provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 relating to political party membership registers and the nomination of candidates.

The apex court, sitting as a seven-member panel led by Justice Adamu Jauro, set aside the Court of Appeal judgement and restored the judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which had earlier dismissed a challenge by the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

The dispute arose from a suit filed by ZLP at the Federal High Court challenging Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026.

The party had argued that the provisions were inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution and amounted to interference in the internal affairs of political parties.

The Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Mohammed Umar, dismissed the suit on May 5, 2026, prompting ZLP to appeal.

The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal subsequently allowed the appeal in part in its July 16 judgement and voided the disputed provisions.

Dissatisfied with the decision, INEC approached the Supreme Court, seeking the restoration of the provisions.

The Supreme Court subsequently reserved judgement after hearing arguments from the parties on September 16 before delivering its judgement on September 24.

The provisions restored by the apex court include Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7), which deal with requirements concerning political parties’ membership registers, as well as Section 84(2), which provides for direct primaries or consensus as methods of nominating candidates.

Adamu: Supreme Court Verdict Does Not Affect My Candidacy

Meanwhile, former Inspector-General of Police and SDP governorship candidate in Nasarawa State, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, has dismissed claims that he has been disqualified from the forthcoming race following the Supreme Court judgement in INEC v. Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

Adamu said the deliberate misinterpretation of the judgement and premature jubilation by some elements of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state were borne out of ignorance.

He spoke through High Chief Otaru Douglas, director of Digital Media and Strategic Communications of his campaign organisation.

Adamu had contested the APC governorship primary in Nasarawa and, after losing, defected to the SDP, where he secured the party’s ticket.

“For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state categorically that the Supreme Court in SC/CR/495/2026 merely restored and validated the constitutionality of Sections 77(5), (6), (7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act, 2026, after the Court of Appeal had declared them unconstitutional.

“The judgment is a general affirmation of INEC’s regulatory powers over party membership registers. It is not a judgment against the Social Democratic Party, nor against Rtd. IGP Mohammed Abubakar Adamu,” the spokesman argued.

Douglas insisted that no court had invalidated the membership register of the SDP, invalidated the direct primary/consensus process that produced Adamu, or ordered INEC to delist him.

“The Certified True Copy of the judgment has not even been released, yet they are already manufacturing victory,” he added.

The spokesman argued that the SDP complied substantially with the Electoral Act 2022, as amended in 2026, with its membership register duly compiled and submitted to INEC within the contemplation of the law, while its nomination process strictly followed Section 84(2) through a direct primary monitored by INEC.

“Therefore, the candidacy of Rtd. IGP Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, CFR, is valid, lawful, and remains on the ballot,” he said.

Pantami Supporters Insist on Candidacy

Similarly, supporters of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, under the aegis of the Pantamiyya Movement, have insisted that the latest Supreme Court judgement does not affect his bid to contest the 2027 Gombe State governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Spokesperson of the movement, Ibrahim M. Alfathir, said it accepted the Federal High Court judgement and maintained that the ruling did not disqualify Pantami from participating in another PDP primary.

The movement said claims that Pantami had been excluded from the race were misleading, stressing that its members and supporters should remain calm and law-abiding pending the fresh primary.

The group said Pantami would participate in the new exercise as directed by the court.

LEADERSHIP reports that the development followed Pantami’s political journey from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the PDP.

Pantami initially pursued the APC governorship ticket but withdrew from the party’s primary in May, citing alleged irregularities, before resigning from the APC and joining the PDP.

He subsequently emerged through the PDP’s May 26 governorship process, which was later challenged in court.

The Federal High Court, while nullifying that primary, did not bar Pantami from participating in a fresh contest.

Reports of the judgement also indicate that the court did not grant the request to invalidate his PDP membership based on his previous APC affiliation.

The PDP has since fixed Tuesday, September 29, 2026, for the fresh Gombe governorship primary and cleared Pantami, Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry to participate.

The party also said the Supreme Court’s latest decision did not affect Pantami’s eligibility for the rescheduled primary.

Attempts to obtain further comments from Pantami’s spokespersons were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.

However, Pantami’s lawyer, Barrister Attahir, had told LEADERSHIP that they were ready to participate in a fresh PDP primary following both court rulings. He rejected claims that Pantami had been excluded or disqualified from contesting.

Chinda: No Consequential Order Against My Candidacy

On his part, APC governorship candidate in Rivers State, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, declared that the Supreme Court did not make any consequential orders concerning his candidacy.

He spoke through his close ally and APC chieftain, Chief Oby Ndukwe.

Speaking in a chat with LEADERSHIP in Port Harcourt, Ndukwe stated that there was no suit challenging Chinda’s eligibility for the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

The APC chieftain further stated that the Supreme Court had earlier ruled that matters relating to party primaries were internal affairs of political parties and were not for the courts to determine.

“Let’s start by saying that there is no suit challenging O.K. Chinda’s election or eligibility for the election. That is number one.

“Two, the facts of the matter are very straight; Zenith Labour Party went to court against INEC, and the Supreme Court restored INEC’s power based on the provisions of the Electoral Act and the Constitution, as amended.

“And what is the issue? The issue is the nomination of candidates for election and membership of political parties. First of all, you have to understand that every party has its own constitution, and the law is straight according to the Supreme Court that whatever has to do with primaries is an internal affair of political parties, not even for the courts to decide.

“It means that even a party can give waivers to people to run for elections.

“Now, the issue is the submission of the party register to INEC, which the Supreme Court is making very clear that there is a provision in the Constitution for that.

“Being a member of a political party is an exclusive preserve of that political party, depending on how they choose to conduct their primaries within the provisions of the Constitution.

“So, it is not for an outsider to decide for a political party who their candidate should be. It is only those who contested the primaries with O.K. Chinda that can go to court and challenge his candidacy.

“Until that happens and the courts decide on it, there is no threat to his candidacy.

“For those who are celebrating or those who are apprehensive, the Supreme Court did not make any consequential orders concerning anybody who might have been affected by the judgment.”