Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: EU-SDGN Report Calls for Greater Transparency in Party Primaries
A new report under the European Union-funded European Union Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria Phase II (EU-SDGN II) programme has examined Nigeria’s 2026 party primaries and identified areas requiring attention ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Titled Before the Ballot, the report assesses how political parties selected candidates for the 2027 elections following electoral reforms introduced in 2026. It also examines candidate lists published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on September 12, 2026.
According to the report, the reforms introduced direct primaries, giving registered party members a formal role in the selection of candidates.
However, the cases examined showed that key aspects of the nomination process, including the issuance of nomination forms, screening, consensus arrangements, internal appeals and submission of candidates to INEC, remained largely under the control of party leaderships.
The report noted that party rules, membership registers, primary election result forms and INEC monitoring findings were generally not made available, limiting the ability of aspirants, party members and observers to independently verify compliance with electoral rules or pursue challenges within the 14-day period provided by law.
On nomination costs, the report observed that presidential nomination forms cost as much as ₦100 million, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) set its nomination fees at ₦20 million for Senate aspirants and ₦10 million for House of Representatives aspirants.
It noted that high nomination costs could increase candidates’ reliance on sponsors.
The report also highlighted the continued low representation of women among candidates for the 2027 elections.
It said women account for 346 of the 3,560 candidates for the House of Representatives, representing 9.7 per cent, compared with 9.2 per cent in 2023.
According to the report, 160 federal constituencies have no female candidate.
The report further examined pending litigation arising from the 2026 electoral process, including the Court of Appeal judgment of July 16 in Zenith Labour Party v INEC, which affected membership-based eligibility requirements introduced under the Electoral Act 2026.
It noted that the Supreme Court heard INEC’s appeal on September 16 and has reserved judgment.
On the current candidate lists, the report said INEC’s federal lists contained 18 presidential tickets, 1,303 Senate candidates and 3,560 House of Representatives candidates.
It added that every National Assembly seat has more than one candidate, although pending court cases could still lead to amendments to the published lists.
The report described candidate nomination as an important early stage of the electoral process and said its findings and recommendations were intended to support political parties, INEC, the judiciary and other stakeholders as preparations for the 2027 elections continue.
For the period leading up to the elections, the report recommended that political party leaderships provide affected aspirants with reasons and records relating to disputed candidate selections and replacements.
It also urged INEC to publish relevant findings from its monitoring of party primaries and explain changes made to candidate lists.
The report called on the judiciary to deliver reasoned judgments within timelines that would allow electoral authorities and political parties to implement them before elections.
It further recommended that political parties translate their Peace Accord commitments into clear guidance for party officials and supporters, while security agencies should provide impartial protection and communicate their responses to reported electoral incidents.
For the 2027–2031 period, the report recommended a review of nomination fees, the establishment of independent internal appeal panels within political parties and the publication of party rules and primary election results.
It also called for enforceable measures to improve the inclusion of women, young people and persons with disabilities in political representation.
Additionally, it recommended a joint review of nomination and electoral litigation timelines by the National Assembly, INEC and the judiciary.
