• Super Admin
• 08 Mar, 2026

As the 2027 general election nears, opposition parties in Nigeria are struggling to meet the digital membership deadline. While the reform may strengthen democracy, opposition leaders accuse the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of manipulating the process. Deputy Political Editor, Raymond Mordi, examines the challenges, advantages, ironies, and potential benefits. In Nigerian political dramas, the run-up to the 2027 general election was always expected to be a spectacle. Yet, a few anticipated that the focus would shift from rallies and manifestos to databases, National Identification Numbers (NIN), and a quiet panic. Opposition parties are now scrambling to digitise their membership registers before a 34-day deadline expires. The Electoral Act 2026, signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, requires parties to submit digital membership registers to the INEC by April 2, 2026. Registers must include photos and NIN for each member. Non-compliance means automatic disqualification from fielding candidates. For opposition parties still regrouping after the 2023 elections, this provision is a major hurdle as the deadline looms. This context sets the stage for understanding their concerns as the new requirements become a focal point of political debate. The 'booby-trapped' timetable The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has expressed strong concerns. National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi described the new electoral schedule as a "rigged system" with "booby traps" intended to facilitate President Tinubu's re-election without genuine competition. "The so-called timetable is not an administrative document. It is a political tool meant to predetermine the 2027 outcome," Abdullahi stated. He explained: "The law requires us to have a digital membership register in all 36 states within about 32 days. We must submit this to INEC and notify them of our congresses. This is nearly impossible for us." A key concern is that the APC began electronic membership registration in February 2025, a year before the Electoral Act 2026 made it mandatory. By the time the law was enacted, the ruling party had already completed its digital register and organised congresses at all levels, giving it a significant compliance advantage. "We know the ruling APC began membership registration in February 2025 and hired a consultant to assist with developing a digital register for the 2027 election," Abdullahi noted. "What took them over a year, they expect us to complete in one month." Due to these tight deadlines, the ADC has suggested it may be unable to field candidates. Other parties in the coalition of 18 opposition groups, including the New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP), share these concerns and warned that the new legal framework could restrict rather than expand democratic participation. With these apprehensions in mind, differing viewpoints on the requirements are emerging within the opposition. A question of seriousness Chief Chekwas Okorie, founding national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), which launched its e-registration on March 1, 2026, counters this perspective by stating, "They are just looking for excuses," Okorie told our reporter during an interview over the telephone. "It's a requirement of the law, and there is nothing to blame. INEC is not to blame; when the bill was signed into law, it had to adjust its timetable to align with the Electoral Act 2026." For Okorie, the digital register requirement is not a trap. He sees it as a long-overdue reform that could bring sanity to Nigeria's notoriously fluid party system. "Online registration of political party members would bring much-needed sanity by clearly defining who is and is not a member," he argued. "Most times, people jump overnight from one party to another, especially during primaries when they are denied their party's ticket. This creates court disputes about whether the person was actually a member, as required by the party's constitution." He cites the UK Conservative Party: "It is over 400 years old, has fewer than a million members, but earns millions of votes." This suggests a party's success depends more on organisation, messaging, and credibility than member count. Okorie expressed surprise that parties have not digitised records, given widespread internet access. "It relates to the party system we operate," he explained. "Some belong to a party today and switch the next day, simply writing a one-sentence letter to their ward chairman to leave. The system is so fluid that people change parties freely because our parties lack ideological direction." APGA announced in June 2024 that it was the first party in Nigeria to fully automate its membership registration system, meeting the new legal requirements. This ongoing process covers all 8,809 electoral wards and requires participants to provide a valid NIN and voter's card, as mandated by the law. The capacity question Election and policy development specialist Paul James offers a more nuanced perspective than either side in the debate. He distinguishes himself from both the opposition's concerns and the APC's confidence, emphasising that the main issue is not technology but the timeline and parties' capacity to comply. "Opposition parties, particularly the ADC, are concerned not with technology but with the timeline and capacity to comply, particularly for smaller parties," James said. "The brief period since the bill became law has made this difficult. Most parties report they have not received the gazette copy of the law. This is understandable." He highlights the NIN challenge: "The law requires parties to submit registered members online 34 days before primaries. Failure bars them from fielding candidates." Integrating NINs improves authentication but forces parties to restart registrations rather than digitising existing lists. James observes that parties should already have the capacity to engage in online processes. He points out that parties like Kowa have maintained digital registers for years. "I recommend that others use this time to improve their digital systems." The PDP's balancing act The People's Democratic Party (PDP), Nigeria's main opposition, balances compliance and skepticism. In Lagos, the PDP has accelerated its digital membership drive, integrating NIN and biometric data while remaining wary of technical exclusion. The party coordinates these efforts with its national headquarters. Dr Christopher Odianarewo, a PDP Lagos chieftain, said the party's efforts are part of a longer-term digital integration strategy, not a last-minute exercise. The party remains concerned that the short compliance window could sideline opposition parties on technical grounds and potentially benefit the ruling APC. The PDP is consulting its legal team. It has indicated it "would seek judicial interpretation if the guidelines are seen as instruments of exclusion or if the commission's digital infrastructure fails to receive and manage party registers securely. "This approach allows the party to comply while preparing for possible legal action." The government's dismissal The presidency rejected opposition complaints. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, called opposition claims "reckless, spurious allegations" and accused them of making "irresponsible statements." "Working in cahoots with some civil society groups, the opposition has waged a relentless war of disinformation against the National Assembly and the administration, making false allegations in a bid to impose their will on Nigerians and the legislature," Onanuga charged. He called the 2026 Electoral Act a significant improvement, arguing it "closes loopholes the opposition sought to exploit." He said opposition complaints arise because the law disrupts their practices. "Rather than this constant lamentation and unwarranted outrage, the ADC and the NNPP leaders should spend more time on introspection and fix their own mess," Onanuga concluded. The Ramadan timing issue Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the PDP's 2023 presidential candidate, led the campaign for INEC to revise its initial election timetable because it overlapped with Ramadan. INEC initially set the presidential election for February 20, 2027, and the governorship races for March 6. Muslim groups protested that these conflicted with Ramadan. Atiku took to social media to urge reconsideration. He argued, "Elections are not mere administrative rituals; they are national exercises that demand maximum participation, physical endurance, and collective focus." He warned that holding elections during Ramadan "shows poor judgment and a troubling lack of sensitivity to the nation's socio-religious realities." As a result, the National Assembly was compelled to hold an emergency session, reducing the mandatory notice period for elections from 360 days to 300 days to give INEC "legal flexibility" to adjust the dates. The commission revised its timetable, thereby compressing the electoral calendar and reducing the time available for opposition parties to comply with the new digital register requirement. Opposition parties, now objecting to the shortened timelines, are facing the consequences of their earlier actions. Atiku's intervention for religious accommodation unintentionally reduced the time available for compliance. Austin Aigbe, a civil society activist specialising in development and electoral matters, commented: "This is another piece of evidence of our backwardness," echoing Chief Okorie's earlier sentiment. "This is a country where politics and governance should have nothing to do with religion, which should be left to the individual. Civil servants who are Muslims go to work during the month of Ramadan, so there is no reason why they cannot vote and go back home and rest." Nigeria's political class often prioritises religious considerations. Still, it has shown less urgency in addressing structural issues that contribute to low voter turnout, such as a lack of trust in the electoral system, logistical failures, and the perception that votes do not count. Religion is frequently used to rally support while deeper democratic challenges remain unresolved. Moving forward If the opposition's complaints about the APC's head start have merit, the more pressing question is what can be done now. Paul James offers a practical path: "Political parties should be able to manage online registration, but reminders from the electoral commission help ensure no party claims it was unaware of the requirements. Perhaps the commission may also hearken to the parties' appeal and extend the submission timeline to prevent disenfranchisement." Austin Aigbe suggests that the panic over registration numbers may be overblown. "The law does not require a minimum number of members to qualify to field candidates," he noted. "They should upgrade their old register of members to a digital format, regardless of the number of persons on the list. Whether it is 1000 members or fewer, it should be submitted to INEC to meet the new requirement." Importantly, the Electoral Act 2026 does not require a minimum membership threshold. A party could submit a register of 500 members and still field presidential candidates, as long as those members are properly documented with NINs and photographs. The main challenge is the administrative capacity to digitise existing records. Potential benefits of the reform Despite concerns about opposition, there is broad agreement that, if properly implemented, the digital register requirement could strengthen Nigeria's democracy. Chief Okorie envisions a system that significantly reduces the chaos of party-switching during primaries. "Once the membership list has been submitted to INEC ahead of an election, there should be no more registration until the contest is over. So, the issue of jumping from one party where you lost nomination to another with the hope of getting its ticket before the window closes would be reduced." Aigbe agrees, noting that previously, "the membership register has always been a problem; before each election, most parties 'cook up' a membership list, which they submit to INEC for clearance purposes only." The new requirement, despite timing challenges, introduces much-needed transparency. "Even if it is a law motivated by evil intent," Aigbe added pointedly, "it would still serve the good of the electoral system in the end." Paul James describes this as part of INEC's broader effort to "improve transparency and proper regulation of political parties through a digital membership register." The key issue is whether the commission can implement the transition without disenfranchising parties that are behind. The lack of party ideology Chief Okorie identifies a deeper issue: Nigeria's parties lack ideological grounding. In a system where politicians frequently switch parties, membership lists have often been unreliable rather than accurate records of organisational reality. "If we had ideological parties, people would think twice before jumping," Okorie argued. "In ideological parties, if you leave, you can't come back the next day. It's not possible. You have to start all over again." The digital register, by creating a verifiable record of membership, could be the first step toward hardening these fluid boundaries. However, this assumes that the parties seek ideological clarity, which the evidence does not support. Nigeria's political class has benefited from a system in which loyalty is transactional, and party switching is easy. The digital register challenges this flexibility. Looking ahead to 2027 As the April 2 deadline approaches, Nigeria's political parties are engaged in a frantic race against time. The ADC has announced it will open nationwide free online membership registration, even as it continues to reject the legal framework. The PDP is digitising across all 245 wards in Lagos State. The APGA claims it can surpass two million members through its electronic drive. It remains uncertain whether these efforts will be sufficient or if INEC's systems will be ready to process the large volume of data. The commission has warned that non-compliance will result in disqualification, and there is little indication of flexibility. For the opposition, moving forward requires action rather than complaint. The APC's advantage stems from strategic planning that was available to any party prepared for legislative changes. The key question is whether Nigeria's opposition can organise effectively under pressure or will become divided by internal disputes. Paul James offers a final thought: "In all, we have interesting times ahead, and I hope there will be compliance across the board." It's a hope shared by many Nigerians, regardless of party affiliation, who want an election that is competitive, credible, and contested on a level playing field. The digital membership register, which has caused significant concern, could, if implemented fairly, bring much-needed transparency to Nigeria's party system. Realising this potential depends on INEC's impartiality, the opposition's organisational capacity, and all parties' willingness to prioritise democracy's long-term health over short-term political gains. As the April 2 deadline approaches, party staff across the country are working extended hours to collect NINs and passport photographs, aiming to meet the requirements that will determine their parties' eligibility in 2027. In Nigerian politics, the current contest is not on the campaign trail or at the polling booth, but in digital systems. Source: https://thenationonlineng.net/2027-general-election-the-digital-litmus-test/