INEC Digital Register Deadline: Parties Scramble Amid Court Drama and Defections

By: Abudu Olalekan

Parties holding their breath. Supreme Court rulings drop this week. Deadlines looming from INEC. It’s a mad dash to upload digital membership registers – or kiss 2027 goodbye.

You see, the new Electoral Act 2026, signed by Tinubu back in February, hits hard. Section 77(2): Submit full digital lists 21 days before primaries. Names, sex, DOB, address, LGA, ward, polling unit, NIN, photo. Hard and soft copies. Only those on the list vote or run. Miss it? Section 77(7) – no candidates for you.

Opposition bigwigs worried. Leadership fights in court, plus defections. Could flip everything. But hey, they’re hustling. ADC, NDC (Turaki PDP faction), NNPP – all grinding.

SDP? Cool as ice. National publicity guy Araba Rufus Ayenigba tells Reporters in Abuja: “No sweat. We’re set. INEC peeps hit our secretariat Tuesday for checks – we’re ahead.” Machinery’s rolling.

NNPP’s Ladipo Johnson echoes that. Defections hurt – some jumping to ADC after Kwankwaso’s moves. Still, “Registration’s chugging. We’ll hit the timeline,” he says.

Labour Party’s rougher ride. Abure faction’s Pastor Obiora Iloh gripes: Court battles over leadership killed momentum. Remember December? They boasted millions signed up electronically. Kataka committee pushed grassroots drive. Now? Power struggles bogged it down.

NDC’s Sen. Seriaka Dickson teams with chair Sen. Moses Cleopas. Launched digital portal March 16 – easy peasy for Nigerians home or abroad. Old members? Don’t re-register; we’ll migrate you. ADC’s no slouch. Free portal at www.adcregistration.ng. Spox Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi: “Verified data only for primaries. Law’s the law.”

Tension’s thick. But parties adapting fast. Stakes? Sky high. Who’s gonna make it?