Needless squabble over dual party registration
It is not certain why a number of notable politicians and political parties appeared opposed to the fresh amendments to the Electoral Act, 2026. Already passed by the House of
- Barometer
It is not certain why a number of notable politicians and political parties appeared opposed to the fresh amendments to the Electoral Act, 2026. Already passed by the House of Representatives, it criminalises individuals who register in more than one political party. The African Democratic Congress (ADC), a party adopted by the coalition of opposition parties for the 2027 elections, political economist and former presidential candidate Pat Utomi, the New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP), and some civil society organisations all warned that the criminalisation of dual party membership was a ploy by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to undermine the opposition and curtail people's constitutional freedom of association. Apart from their logic being unsustainable, it is curious how they have turned the ruling party into a bogeyman.
Read Also: APC membership in Zamfara hits 158,697 days after Governor Lawal joins party
Advertisement
300x250
The new bill amends Section 77 of the Act, and provides in sub-sections 8, 9 and 10 for fines and prison terms for anyone who registers in more than one political party. Most of those who oppose the criminalisation of dual party registration do not do so because of indifference to its potential disruptiveness, but because they second-guess the motives of the APC. According to them, an implosion of some sort appears imminent in the APC after the primaries, and without dual registration, it would be impossible to take advantage of the ruling party's impending distress. This argument is self-serving. How could they tell whether the dual registrants themselves do not harbour nefarious reasons for their duplicity? And if dual registration is acceptable, why not triple registration also?
The amendment makes legal and constitutional sense. It should be encouraged in order to sanitise Nigeria's electoral system. It may not answer all questions concerning the country's electoral future, but recent amendments have been an improvement on the old Act. Rather than resist it, let agitators and activists take another look at the Act and see whether there are not other provisions needing some tweaking before the next electoral cycle.
