The Supreme Court has reserved judgment on an appeal by the Independent National Electoral Commission against a Court of Appeal decision voiding certain provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 relating to political party primaries and membership registers.

A seven-man panel of the apex court, presided over by Justice Adamu Jauro, heard arguments from the parties on Wednesday and said it would inform them when the judgment is ready.

The appeal, marked SC/CV/495/2026, challenges the Court of Appeal’s July 16 judgment in Abuja, which voided some provisions of the Electoral Act relating to party primaries and membership registers.

The Court of Appeal’s judgment was delivered on the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/750/2026, filed by the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) against the May 5 judgment of Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which dismissed its suit marked FHC/ABJ/509/2026.

The provisions at the centre of the dispute include Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026.

Sections 77(5), 77(6), and 77(7) set out the statutory requirements for political parties’ membership registers, while Section 84(2) prescribes direct primaries or consensus as methods for political parties to nominate candidates.

The ZLP had argued at the trial court that the provisions conflicted with the 1999 Constitution and amounted to unconstitutional interference in the internal affairs of political parties.

The party’s case is anchored, among other things, on Sections 221 and 222 of the Constitution, which provide the constitutional framework governing political parties. (The Nation)