*** Commission releases top 10 states in nation’s 103 million voters register

*** Demands adequate funding for conduct of free, fair, transparent and credible polls 

***Disqualify all candidates affected by ruling, Reps committee charges Commission 

By Eze Nnadi 

With barely 100 days to the conduct of the 2027 general election, some political parties candidacy at the various levels of the election remains shaky as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it has commenced the review of the recent Supreme Court ruling that affirmed its revised election timetable and schedule of activities 

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan disclosed at a world press conference in Abuja on Tuesday that the commission has received the true certified copy of the judgement, adding that it will begin a careful review, so as to come up with a position on the lingering issues. 

The Supreme Court had in its judgement raised concerns over the eligibility of candidates who crossed over to other political parties with less than 21 days to primary as prescribed by the 2026 Electoral Act, as amended, where they were subsequently given tickets, after losing in their former parties.

Candidates allegedly affected by the ruling included the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Rivers State ,Hon. Kingsley Chinda, his People’s Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart in Gombe state, Isa Pantami, as well as the PDP senatorial candidate in Kwara state, Senator Mustapha Salihu, and the Delta Central senatorial candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Ovie Omo- Agege and others.

Amupitan  stated that the commission received several complaints arising from the nomination process, including unlawful withdrawal and substitution  of candidates, typographical errors and other related legal issues relating to nomination.

He said, “All 112 formal complaints received from aspirants, candidates and political parties regarding  the nomination process were investigated and resolved, except those pending  in the court.

“However,  we have recently received complaints from some political parties and aggrieved aspirants drawing our attention to the recent supreme Court decision in INEC vs Zenith Labour Party, delivered on September 24, 2026,  affirming the constitutionality of Section 77 (5) -(7) of the Electoral Act 2026, and also upholding our Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 general

elections 

“We only received the certified true copy of the judgement this morning (Tuesday), and it is being reviewed “

The INEC chairman disclosed that 18 out of the 22 registered political parties submitted  36 presidential and vice presidential candidates.

He noted that Accord, APGA and Youth Party nominated no presidential candidates,  while the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) withdrew its presidential nomination during the substitution window. 

“Also,  21 out of 22 parties sponsored 1,313 candidates for Senate, and 3,547 candidates for the House of Representatives . Final list of candidates was published  on 10th October  2026, subject to court orders 

“21 political parties nominated 936 governorship and deputy governorship candidates and 9,692 candidates  for the various States House of Assembly.” 

This is even  as the Commission revealed that Lagos, Kano and Kaduna States recorded the highest number of registered voters ahead of the 2027 general election, with the total number standing at over 103 million. 

According to Amupitan, the figure, 

 which now places Nigeria as largest democracy in Africa covers the three phases of the commission’s voter registration exercise.

“The national register of voters now stands at over103 million, making Nigeria the largest democracy in Africa,” Amupitan said.

According to him, Lagos leads the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory with 7,488,633 registered voters, followed by Kano with 6,570,276 and Kaduna with 4,662,640.

Katsina ranks fourth with 3,876,051 registered voters, while Rivers has 3,736,434. Oyo follows with 3,588,111 voters, while Delta has 3,525,988.

Benue has 3,057,225 registered voters, followed by Ogun with 3,037,981, while Bauchi completes the top 10 with 3,012,547 registered voters.

INEC further urged the federal government to urgently release the commission’s outstanding budgetary allocations to enable it complete preparations for the 2027 general elections.

Professor Amupitan noted that the commission had made significant progress in its preparations but would require timely access to the remaining funds to sustain the pace of implementation to guarantee it’s resolve to conduct a free, fair, transparent and credible polls 

Amupitan said the funds already released had enabled the commission to meet international vendor obligations, finance the production of critical election technology, upgrade infrastructure and sustain multi-stakeholder operations across the country.

He described the financial preparedness of the commission as a critical component of the election process, noting that an election of the scale of the 2027 general election required not only adequate funding but also fiscal discipline.

“However, we expect the prompt release of the remaining budgets to ensure seamless execution of the activities,” he said.

“Executing a national election of this magnitude requires robust financial backing and fiscal discipline,” Amupitan said.

He assured that the commission was operating within a framework of transparent fiscal management, with statutory budgetary allocations supporting its ongoing preparations, adding that funding issue comes as INEC intensifies preparations for the 2027 elections, with the commission saying it has already completed nine of the 14 critical statutory milestones contained in its revised timetable issued on February 26, 2026.

He stressed that funding was particularly important to the commission’s ability to sustain election technology, logistics and other operational requirements nationwide.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to audit the candidates submitted by political parties for the 2027 general elections and disqualify those whose names are not contained in the parties’ membership registers submitted to the commission.

The committee made the demand on Tuesday in a letter dated September 30, 2026, signed by its Chairman, Mr Bayo Balogun and made available to journalists in Abuja, drawing INEC’s attention to Section 77 of the Electoral Act, 2026, particularly subsections 4 to 6.

The committee said the request became necessary following the Supreme Court’s judgment on the validity and constitutionality of Section 77(5), which provides that only members whose names are contained in a political party’s register are eligible to vote or be voted for at the party’s primaries, congresses and conventions.

It noted that INEC had “previously expressed reservations about enforcing the provision because of pending judicial proceedings challenging its interpretation, constitutionality and enforceability.”

The Reps Committee recalled that INEC had in a July 26, 2026 response by the Secretary to the Commission, explained its position in view of the then-pending court proceedings and the need to avoid taking administrative steps that could subsequently be affected by a final judicial determination.”

“However, the committee chairman said the Supreme Court’s decision had fundamentally altered the legal position.

“The legal position has now materially changed, the Supreme Court, as the apex court in constitutional and electoral matters within its jurisdiction, had settled the dispute surrounding the relevant provisions of Section 77(5)

“The provision was no longer operating within the uncertainty that had previously surrounded its implementation,” he stated, while urging INEC to proceed, without further delay, to fully enforce Section 77(4-6) of the Electoral Act, 2026 and ensure that the provisions are given their intended effect in the administration and monitoring of political parties and their electoral activities.