Nigeria’s House of Representatives has moved to close one of the country’s most exploited political loopholes, voting to amend the Electoral Act 2026 to ban simultaneous membership of multiple political parties.
The amendment, passed during plenary after consideration at the committee of the whole, grafts three new subsections onto Section 77 of the Electoral Act — the section governing party membership. Under the revised law, anyone found to be registered with more than one party at the same time will have all such memberships declared void and will be barred from recognition as a valid party member until the matter is resolved in line with the Act and the relevant party’s constitution.
For those who knowingly exploit the system, the consequences are steep. Conviction could attract a N10 million fine, a two-year prison sentence, or both.
Supporters of the bill argued that dual party membership had long corroded political integrity in Nigeria, muddying the waters during primaries and candidate nomination processes. “You cannot put your legs in two different houses at the same time,” one lawmaker said during floor debate. “For the sake of moral justice and honesty, you should belong to one political party at any given time.”
Not everyone was fully on board. Rep. Abubakar Fulata (APC–Jigawa) raised a constitutional flag, warning that an outright ban could run afoul of Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which protects freedom of association. His position was that the law should frame the restriction as a limitation to one active membership at a time, rather than an absolute prohibition — a distinction that may yet draw legal scrutiny if the bill advances.
The amendment now moves through the remaining legislative stages before potential presidential assent.
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