INEC Reviews Supreme Court Judgement Affecting Omo-agege, Ochei, Others

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, made this known during the commission’s World Press Conference in Abuja on Tuesday 6 October.

According to Professor Amupitan, the commission has received complaints from political parties, aggrieved aspirants and members of the National Assembly concerning the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision in the case involving INEC and the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP.

It could be recalled that the Supreme Court, in its September 24 judgment, upheld the constitutionality of Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026. The court also upheld INEC’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 elections.

Professor Amupitan, noted INEC only received the certified true copy of the judgment on Tuesday and was studying the document before deciding on the appropriate steps to take.

The development has attracted attention because some politicians changed political parties after nomination processes had already been conducted or commenced by their previous parties.

Among those whose nominations have come under scrutiny are Rivers State All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate, Kingsley Chinda, Delta Central senatorial candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Ovie Omo-Agege; former Cross River State governor and Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, presidential candidate Donald Duke; and former Delta State House of Assembly Speaker Victor Ochei.

INEC’s review is expected to clarify how the Supreme Court judgment will affect the commission’s handling of nominations and the participation of affected candidates in the 2027 elections.

As of the time of filing in this report, the electoral commission has not announced any final decision on the individual candidates mentioned in connection with the judgment.