ABUJA — Fresh uncertainty has emerged over the political future of some high-profile candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) holds a crucial national stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja.
The meeting, scheduled to mark 100 days to the 2027 elections, is expected to provide updates on the voters’ register, candidate nominations, election logistics and measures aimed at ensuring credible polls.
Although INEC has not announced any plan to disqualify specific candidates, attention is increasingly focused on politicians who defected to new political parties after nomination processes had commenced or were concluded.
Among those attracting particular attention are Rivers State APC governorship candidate, Kingsley Chinda; former Deputy Senate President and NDC Delta Central senatorial candidate, Ovie Omo-Agege; former Cross River State governor and PRP presidential candidate, Donald Duke; and former Delta State House of Assembly Speaker, Victor Ochei.
The renewed debate follows a September 25 Supreme Court judgment that restored key provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 relating to political party membership registers and candidate nominations.
The apex court unanimously upheld INEC’s appeal and restored Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2), provisions that had earlier been struck down by the Court of Appeal.
The ruling has raised fresh questions about the eligibility of politicians who switched political parties after their former parties had conducted, or were conducting, nomination exercises.
Chinda’s Rivers Ambition Under Scrutiny
In Rivers State, the candidacy of Chinda, an ally of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, is attracting considerable attention.
Chinda emerged as the APC governorship candidate on May 21, 2026, shortly after a Federal High Court ruling had invalidated parts of INEC’s electoral timetable.
However, the Supreme Court judgment did not specifically disqualify Chinda or any other candidate.
Supporters of the Rivers APC candidate have maintained that the apex court ruling does not automatically invalidate his nomination.
Omo-Agege, Ochei Face Fresh Questions
Omo-Agege’s case in Delta State is another major point of interest.
The former Deputy Senate President contested the APC’s Delta Central senatorial primary in May but lost to Ede Dafinone.
He resigned from the APC on May 22 and later joined the NDC, which granted him a waiver to participate in its Delta Central senatorial primary.
He subsequently secured the ticket through a consensus arrangement.
The controversy now centres on whether the restored provisions of the Electoral Act could have implications for his nomination, particularly regarding party membership registers and statutory requirements for participation in party primaries.
Ochei, who also left the APC after its nomination process and joined the NDC, received a waiver before securing the party’s Delta North senatorial ticket.
His candidacy could face similar scrutiny.
Lawyer Explains What Supreme Court Ruling Really Means
Human rights lawyer, Maximus Ugwuoke, has cautioned against interpreting the Supreme Court judgment as an automatic cancellation of affected nominations.
Speaking on the implications of the judgment, Ugwuoke said the restoration of the disputed provisions did not mean that every candidate who emerged during the period when the provisions were inoperative had automatically become disqualified.
He explained that INEC would have to examine the circumstances surrounding each nomination, including the applicable law at the time, party membership records, the procedure used to conduct the primary and relevant statutory timelines.
According to him, the key issue is the legal basis and scope of any review INEC may undertake.
Ugwuoke warned that a blanket cancellation of nominations should not be assumed simply because the Supreme Court restored the disputed provisions.
He stressed that while the apex court had restored the statutory rules, the effect on candidates who had already emerged from party primaries would depend on the facts of individual cases and how the Electoral Act applies to them.
With INEC’s stakeholders’ meeting now underway, attention is expected to focus on whether the commission will offer clearer guidance on the controversial nominations — and whether today’s deliberations could signal what awaits some of the high-profile candidates ahead of the 2027 polls.
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