By Ebuka Onyekwelu, Ph.D
At least two Nigerian political parties have commenced online registration and validation of membership, as part of plans ahead of the 2027 General Election. With Nigeria’s next General Elections now slated for January and February 2027, it is now less than one year to the election, and political parties are gearing up for primary elections expected to commence in a matter of months. This exercise will ensure parties fully comply with submitting updated membership register to the INEC before primaries, as required by law.
Importantly, with the removal of the indirect or delegate primary election system in the Electoral Act 2026, many political parties will now select flag bearers for various elective positions through direct primaries or by consensus in line with the Act’s provision. If a party chooses the direct primaries, all party members in the constituency of the election are expected to participate in the process of candidate selection.
The All Progressive Grand Alliance – APGA, has now commenced online registration for new members and validation of membership for old members. This process is open across the entire federation and can be accessed from anywhere in the world. The APGA website was announced open for the exercise, with the governor of Anambra State and National Leader of APGA, Professor Charles Soludo, and his wife, Mrs. Nonye Soludo, being the first to validate their membership of the party. During this exercise, Professor Soludo called on Nigerians to join APGA, which he said is the foremost progressive party in Nigeria. A similar call was made by APGA’s National Chairman, Barrister Sly Ezeokenwa, who called on young people to join APGA.
On the other hand, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has also commenced online registration. However, many fictitious names have been merged with photos of President Trump, Mr. Peter Obi, and others in the party’s registration portal.
For now, it remains unclear how other political parties are conducting their online party membership and validation drives ahead of next year’s Nigerian election.
However, there is a hope that political party members now have a higher stake in candidate selection, which is expected to have a positive impact on Nigeria’s electoral system.
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