Legal practitioner and political commentator, Abdul Mahmud, has warned that the presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and African Democratic Congress (ADC) could face disqualification from the 2027 general elections over alleged violations of the Electoral Act during their primaries.
Mahmud, in a strongly-worded post on his X account on Wednesday, accused both parties of conducting what he described as “illegal” primaries by allegedly failing to accredit party members before voting commenced.
According to him, the conduct of the exercises fell short of the requirements of the Electoral Act 2026 and raised serious questions about the credibility of the processes.
“APC and ADC have behaved poorly in the conduct of their primaries,” Mahmud wrote.
Citing Section 77(5) of the Electoral Act 2026, the lawyer stated that only registered party members whose names are contained in the official register are eligible to participate in party primaries.
He alleged that neither the APC nor ADC carried out proper accreditation before members queued up to vote.
“Both parties never did accreditation of members before they voted. Members queued up as if they were waiting for COVID palliatives,” he said.
Mahmud warned that the alleged infractions could attract serious legal consequences, including the possible exclusion of candidates produced through such primaries.
“The court can by Section 88(3) of the Electoral Act exclude a party’s candidate from the general election,” he warned.
He further cautioned that the conduct of political parties could set a dangerous precedent for future elections, accusing them of undermining the democratic process they often claim to defend.
“INEC can take a cue from political parties and don’t do accreditation in 2027 in order to rig the numbers. Parties should not complain then!” he stated.
Mahmud also turned attention to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), expressing hope that the party would avoid similar controversies in its own primaries.
“We wait to see what NDC does tomorrow and next tomorrow,” he added.
His comments come amid mounting criticism and allegations of irregularities surrounding the recently concluded party primaries across the country, with concerns growing over compliance with electoral laws ahead of the 2027 elections.
