Opposition political parties on Saturday raced against time to submit updated membership registers to the Independent National Electoral Commission ahead of the midnight deadline for the 2027 general elections. The rush followed the extension of the deadline for submission of membership registers to May 10, 2026, by the commission on March 27. The electoral body had stated, “The register of party members must be submitted to INEC not later than 21 days before the holding of their respective primaries.” With May 30 designated as the final day for the conduct of primaries, the deadline for the submission of digital registers for any party planning primaries on that date was May 9.
The development comes amid growing anxiety over the possible disqualification of aspirants and unresolved coalition talks. Parties indicated in separate interviews that they had either complied with the requirements of the Electoral Act or were finalising the process before the deadline elapsed. The National Chairman of the New Nigeria People’s Party, Yusuf Bala, said the party had surpassed the minimum membership threshold and submitted its register in multiple volumes. Bala stated, “We have passed the threshold of INEC that no party should have fewer than 5,000. We have met that and far surpassed it.” He added that, “Even the party membership register that we took to the commission is in three volumes. So as it stands, we have quite a number of members scattered across the country.” He further noted, “We have followers from Kano, Kaduna, and North Central. To us, we have a very reasonable followership in the entire 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.”
The National Publicity Secretary of the Social Democratic Party, Rufus Aiyenigba, said the party had fulfilled all necessary requirements long before the verification exercise by the commission. Aiyenigba stated, “We have complied with the membership register long before INEC officials visited us at the secretariat for verification a few weeks ago. So, the issue of deadlines does not apply to the SDP.” He noted that the party provided a large volume of registration documents. Aiyenigba added, “Although I can’t supply you with a specific figure now because I have not been updated on the current statistics, the current membership strength of the party is quite encouraging.” The National Chairman of the SDP, Shehu Gabam, also confirmed compliance. When asked whether the party had transmitted its register, Gabam said, “Yes, we did.”
The Labour Party claimed to be witnessing an unexpected surge in membership across northern Nigeria. The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Ken Asogwa, said, “The Labour Party has complied fully with the provisions of the Electoral Act regarding the deadline for submission of the party register. But I have not had access to assess our current membership strength.” He expressed surprise at the registration patterns, stating, “Surprisingly, what we were able to glimpse from the backend shows that we have more members in the North than in the South. Apart from Abia State, where we have a sitting governor, we have more registrations in the North.” Asogwa added that, “In fact, those who purchased more of Labour Party nomination forms are from Taraba, Adamawa, Benue and the far North-East.” He credited the acting leadership for the expansion, noting, “She has been able to take the party to the doorstep of northern homes, and they also bought into it because LP is crisis-free.”
The Nigeria Democratic Congress expressed confidence in meeting the target before expiration. The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Abdulmumin Abdulsalam, said, “There is no problem. The NDC will definitely meet the deadline in line with the Electoral Act before it lapses.” He mentioned that he needed to clarify numerical strength with the IT department, stating, “But on the numerical strength of the party, I need to clarify things with the organising secretary and the IT department before I can categorically give you the accurate figure.”
The National Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Grand Alliance, Ejimofor Opara, confirmed that the party complied with the directive. When asked if the party had submitted its register, he responded, “Yes, please.” The Young Progressives Party also stated it had fulfilled the legal requirement. The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Wale Egbeola-Martins, said, “Yes, we have complied.” The publisher and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, similarly confirmed compliance, responding with a terse, “yes.”
The commission had insisted on strict compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act guiding party administration and nomination processes. Submission of membership registers is considered a critical requirement as it enables the verification of membership authenticity and monitoring of compliance during congresses and primary elections. The directive is in line with Section 77(4) of the Electoral Act 2026, which mandates political parties to submit their membership registers not later than 21 days before their primaries. Consequently, political parties across Nigeria embarked on registration drives and emergency meetings as the deadline threatened to shut out hundreds of aspirants.
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