Reps Move To Criminalise Dual Party Membership, Propose ₦10m Fine Or Two-Year Jail Term
By Our Correspondent
The House of Representatives has amended the Electoral Act 2026 to criminalise dual membership of political parties, proposing a penalty of ₦10 million fine or a two-year prison term for offenders.
The amendment, passed on Wednesday during plenary, seeks to strengthen the legal framework governing political party membership in Nigeria and curb the practice of individuals belonging to multiple political parties at the same time.
The bill, which was considered and adopted at the Committee of the Whole, introduces three new subsections to Section 77 of the Electoral Act 2026, clearly prohibiting Nigerians from registering as members of more than one political party simultaneously.
Under the new provision, any individual found to be registered in multiple political parties will have such memberships declared invalid and void.
The amendment states that a person found to have knowingly registered or maintained membership in more than one political party commits an offence and, upon conviction, will be liable to a fine of ₦10 million, a two-year prison term, or both.
Lawmakers who supported the amendment argued that dual party membership undermines political integrity, complicates party primaries and candidate nominations, and weakens the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral system.
However, during deliberations, Abubakar Fulata (APC–Jigawa) raised constitutional concerns, noting that restricting individuals from belonging to more than one political party could conflict with Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of association.
Fulata suggested that the law should instead emphasise that citizens can only maintain active membership in one political party at a time.
Other lawmakers dismissed the concern, insisting that belonging to more than one party at the same time amounts to political dishonesty and misrepresentation.
One member during the debate stated, “You cannot put your legs in two different houses at the same time. For the sake of moral justice and honesty, you should belong to only one political party at any given time.”
Lawmakers also discussed mechanisms for detecting violations, noting that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) already receives party membership registers ahead of party primaries, which could help identify individuals listed in more than one party.
Some members, however, cautioned that innocent citizens could be wrongly implicated if their names appear in multiple party registers without their consent.
In response, it was clarified that the provision would apply only where dual membership is knowingly established, meaning deliberate action must be proven.
Following deliberations, the Committee of the Whole adopted the clauses of the bill before the House reverted to plenary to report progress.
If eventually signed into law, the amendment is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral system and discourage the practice of multiple political party memberships.
