INEC reschedules membership registration, primary deadlines

The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has rescheduled last dates for conclusion of political party membership registrations and primary elections.

According to the commission, the strategic adjustment to the 2027 General Election timetable, grants political parties additional time to submit their official registers of members.

The decision followed Tuesday’s meeting between the Commission and political party leaders where “concerns were raised on the timeline for the submission of Political Parties’ Registers of Members.”

In a statement, on Friday night, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the adjustment aims to bring the schedule into closer alignment with the 21 days prescribed by “Section 77(4) of the Electoral Act, 2026, with the actual dates fixed by political parties themselves.”

Consequently, the final deadline for submission has been extended to May 10, 2026, from the original April 21 cutoff.

Under the updated guidelines, political parties are “free to fix the dates of their primaries within the approved period from the 23rd of April 2026 to the 30th of May 2026.”

However, the Commission emphasized that the register of party members must be submitted “not later than 21 days before the holding of their respective primaries.”

He tressed the necessity of these changes to ensure a “smooth electoral process”, cautioning that “it is imperative that parties adhere to this timeline” to avoid procedural delays in the lead-up to the 2027 general elections.