2027: Parties risk exclusion as INEC deadline for digital registers nears

Several political parties in the country risk being barred from participating in the 2027 general elections if they fail to comply with the new requirement to submit verified digital membership registers to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the stipulated deadline under the amended Electoral Act 2026.

The provision has triggered a rush among political parties to complete their e-registration processes, with smaller parties struggling with funding, internal disputes and logistical challenges.

Under the revised election timetable released by the commission recently, parties are required to submit their digital membership registers by April 2, 2026. Failure to meet the deadline may attract sanctions that could affect their eligibility to field candidates for the 2027 elections.

The development has raised concerns that several smaller parties, many of which lack the financial and technological capacity to carry out nationwide electronic registration, could effectively be shut out of the electoral contest.

Nigeria currently has 21 registered political parties. They are Accord (A), Action Alliance (AA), Action Democratic Party (ADP), Action Peoples Party (APP), African Action Congress (AAC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), All Progressives Congress (APC), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

Others are Boot Party (BP), Labour Party (LP), National Rescue Movement (NRM), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Youth Party (YP), and the newly registered Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

Read also: 2027: INEC aligns party regulations with Electoral Act 2026

PDP, LP, NNPP face crises, legal issues

However, internal disputes and factional crises within some parties, particularly the PDP, Labour Party, and the NNPP are complicating efforts to coordinate the exercise.

Recall that the Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party had commenced the process last year, before Senator Nenadi Usman was affirmed as the Chairperson of the party’s Caretaker Committee by a Federal High Court in Abuja in January 2026.

Usman equally launched another e-membership registration this month, emphasising that the initiative was part of the party’s broader commitment to strengthening grassroots participation and building a credible, participatory membership base.

Similarly, the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the PDP had begun preparations to launch the exercise before the convention that produced his leadership in Ibadan, was nullified by the court.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja, had last week, upheld the decisions of the Federal High Court invalidating the national convention of the PDP held in Ibadan, Oyo State, between November 15 and 16, 2025.

In its judgement, a three-member panel of the court barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the outcome of the convention, including the emergence of the Taminu Turaki’s leadership of the party.

Also, last Friday, Boniface Aniebonam, the NNPP Founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the NNPP, said the delay by INEC in uploading the party’s current leadership to the commission’s website is affecting its registration/membership drive nationwide.

Aniebonam in a statement stated that the membership drive and e-registration had been slow due to the continued face-off with the Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso-led group.

“INEC is yet to obey the court order, directing it to recognise the Agbo Major-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the NNPP. The delay led to NNPP not fielding candidates in some elections in the past, which is regrettable and embarrassing.

“Most of our members, especially those with ambition to run for political offices, are becoming sceptical about NNPP’s ability to be part of the 2027 general elections. We had hoped for swift resolution of the internal crisis with the coming of a new INEC chairman, but it is still delayed,” he said.

He said that the NNPP portal is already open and that the registration had begun for members and intending members nationwide.

Read also: 2027 will be Nigeria’s most credible election yet – INEC Boss

Smaller parties struggle to meet deadline

Multiple sources have told BusinessDay that smaller parties are still struggling to raise funds to begin their electronic membership registration.

While some have announced tentative dates for the commencement of the exercise, the process is yet to take off fully in many of the parties less than three weeks to the deadline for submission of their digital registers to INEC.

Although a number of smaller parties are yet to begin the process in earnest, social media platforms have been flooded with announcements claiming that their e-registration has commenced.

Peter Obi, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, had said he would challenge the passage and signing of the new Electoral Act into law in court.

A National Working Committee (NWC) member of one of the affected parties, who spoke to BusinessDay on condition of anonymity, alleged that the new requirement was designed to weaken opposition parties.

“This law is draconian and obnoxious. It is aimed at disenfranchising smaller parties and giving the bigger parties an advantage over us. But we will do our best to meet the deadline,” he said.

Analysts say the digital membership requirement, though aimed at improving transparency and strengthening internal party democracy, may place smaller parties at a disadvantage due to the cost of establishing secure digital databases and conducting nationwide verification of members.

Political observers say the new requirements may force smaller parties to explore mergers, alliances or even adopt candidates of larger parties to remain politically relevant in the 2027 race.

APC, ADC, APGA lead in digital membership drive

BusinessDay observed that the APC, ADC and APGA are currently the parties most advanced in the process of compiling and digitising their membership registers.

The APC had before March, 2026, recorded a significant surge in its digital membership registration, with over seven million members already captured in its ongoing e-registration exercise. The party also projected that the figure could exceed 12 million members before the exercise concludes.

The update was disclosed at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja during a joint address by the APC National Secretary, Ajibola Bashiru and the National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka.

The ADC also said it registered more than one million members across Katsina State alone, in what the party described as a major boost to its grassroots expansion ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The party’s 2023 governorship candidate in the state, Ibrahim Aminu-Trader, disclosed this during a meeting of ADC stakeholders in Katsina recently. “So far, we have recorded over one million registrations, and our membership cards have finished,” he said.

Similarly, Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State has revalidated his membership of the APGA by participating in the party’s ongoing electronic membership registration exercise. Soludo, alongside his wife, Nonye Soludo, had completed the registration as part of the party’s digital membership update.

In a post on his Facebook page, the governor described APGA’s digital membership system as a game-changer, noting that it positions the party as a pioneer in adopting technology in Nigerian politics.

Why the push for digital registers gained traction

The push for digital registers gained urgency after adjustments to the electoral calendar. Initially, INEC scheduled presidential and National Assembly elections for February 20, 2027, with governorship and state assembly polls fixed for March 6, 2027.

However, following amendments by the Senate reducing the statutory election notice period from 360 days to 300 days, the commission issued a revised timetable.

Under the new schedule, presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on January 16, 2027, while governorship and state assembly elections are slated for February 6, 2027.