Nigeria's House of Representatives has taken one of the most significant steps in the country's electoral history, amending the Electoral Act 2026 to make dual political party membership a criminal offence — prescribing a fine of ₦10 million, a jail term of up to two years, or both, for anyone found guilty of knowingly maintaining membership in more than one political party at the same time.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday amended Section 77 of the recently assented Electoral Act 2026 to prescribe a two-year jail term or ₦10 million fine, or both, for anyone who knowingly maintains membership of two political parties at the same time. Lawmakers during the committee of the whole, presided by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu, made amendments to Section 77 of the 2026 Act by inserting three new clauses — Clause 8, Clause 9 and Clause 10 — which were considered and approved by lawmakers after a heated session of back and forth debates. [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/3/10/iran-war-live-trump-says-conflict-will-be-over-soon-40-killed-in-tehran?claude-citation-de35073e-75b4-4d02-91a4-7fcf5ff0bafe=b99c5b4f-dc94-4d4f-85e8-9f09e2268c2d)
The amendment was passed on Wednesday during plenary and 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. [CIE](https://israeled.org/netanyahu-announces-strike-on-iran-february-2026/?claude-citation-de35073e-75b4-4d02-91a4-7fcf5ff0bafe=9a67f1c7-af00-43f5-96ce-25566813cdd8)
The story broke on Wednesday March 11, 2026 and was confirmed by Punch, Daily Trust, Hallmark News, National Network Online, Per Second News, and eNews Nigeria, all citing the House of Representatives plenary session of March 11, 2026.
The Three New Clauses — Exactly What The Law Now Says
The amendment introduces three brand new subsections — Clauses 8, 9 and 10 — to Section 77 of the Electoral Act 2026, which governs political party membership and registration in Nigeria. Together, the three clauses create a complete legal framework for detecting, penalising and prosecuting dual party membership.
The new subsection reads: "A person shall not be registered as a member of more than one political party at the same time. Where it is established that a person is registered as a member of more than one political party at the same time, such dual membership shall be void, and the person shall cease to be recognised as a valid member of any political party pending regularisation in accordance with the law and the constitution of the party concerned. A person who knowingly registers or maintains membership in more than one political party at the same time commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of ₦10,000,000 or to imprisonment for a term of two years, or both." [PBS](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/read-netanyahus-full-statement-on-iran-attacks?claude-citation-de35073e-75b4-4d02-91a4-7fcf5ff0bafe=51343cd8-7dcd-4804-ac77-1b484dbb5fc5)
In plain language, the new law means three things. First, you cannot be a card-carrying member of two parties at the same time — full stop. Second, if you are found to have dual membership, both memberships are automatically void — meaning you belong to neither party until you sort it out. Third, if you did it knowingly and deliberately, you face either a ₦10 million fine, two years in prison, or both.
The Problem It Is Designed To Solve — 'Political Nomadism'
To understand why this amendment is significant, it is important to understand the problem it is designed to solve — a deeply entrenched practice in Nigerian politics that experts have described as "political nomadism" or "political cross-carpeting."
This amendment to the Electoral Act 2026 aims to tackle the long-standing issue of "political nomadism," where individuals maintain affiliations with multiple parties to hedge their bets during primary seasons. Lawmakers argue that this "double-dealing" creates administrative nightmares for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and weakens the internal democracy of political parties. By prescribing such a steep financial penalty, the House intends to make the cost of political opportunism prohibitively high. [The Times of Israel](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/pm-end-of-iranian-regime-depends-on-iranian-peoples-will-to-throw-off-the-yoke-of-tyranny/?claude-citation-de35073e-75b4-4d02-91a4-7fcf5ff0bafe=09df1586-c68a-4717-ba3a-d219779f945a)
The practice has been particularly common in the run-up to elections, when politicians who lose their party's primary quickly join another party — sometimes while still holding onto their old party membership card. INEC has long complained that receiving membership registers from multiple parties that contain the same names makes it extremely difficult to administer clean elections.
While the law already requires citizens to belong to only one political party at a time, enforcement has largely been administrative, with limited legal consequences for violations. Lawmakers pushing the amendment argue that the absence of clear criminal sanctions has allowed some politicians to exploit loopholes in the system. [tv7israelnews](https://www.tv7israelnews.com/vod/series/563/?episode-id=OUeheHbpukg&claude-citation-de35073e-75b4-4d02-91a4-7fcf5ff0bafe=df98aa8d-5bc1-4c9c-8560-c09e04ff721a)
How INEC Will Detect Violations
One of the most important practical questions raised during Wednesday's heated debate in the House was: how exactly will anyone know if a person is secretly registered in two parties?
Lawmakers discussed mechanisms for detecting violations, noting that the Independent National Electoral Commission 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. [CIE](https://israeled.org/netanyahu-announces-strike-on-iran-february-2026/?claude-citation-de35073e-75b4-4d02-91a4-7fcf5ff0bafe=2d1c2259-2c1c-40ad-9ec8-e448711721bc)
This "knowingly" qualifier is critical — and it is likely to be the most contested element of the law if and when prosecutions are brought. Proving that someone "knowingly" maintained membership in two parties requires evidence of deliberate intent — not just the appearance of their name in two registers. This will place significant demands on INEC's data management systems and the prosecutorial capacity of Nigeria's law enforcement agencies.
The Broader Context — Part of Major 2026 Electoral Reforms
Wednesday's amendment does not stand alone. It is part of a sweeping package of electoral reforms that have been moving through Nigeria's National Assembly since late 2025 and were signed into law by President Tinubu in February 2026.
This specific provision is part of a wider suite of reforms signed into law in February 2026. Other major changes include strengthening the legal framework for the electronic transmission of election results through the IReV portal, stiffer malpractice penalties including increased fines for vote-buying now up to ₦5 million and 10-year jail terms for electoral officers who falsify results, and the scrapping of indirect primaries in favour of direct or consensus options to give more power to grassroots members. [The Times of Israel](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/pm-end-of-iranian-regime-depends-on-iranian-peoples-will-to-throw-off-the-yoke-of-tyranny/?claude-citation-de35073e-75b4-4d02-91a4-7fcf5ff0bafe=193cfaab-c831-4b49-acc2-ed9f2bc4fbb1)
The broader reform package has been deeply controversial — particularly the provisions relating to electronic transmission of results, which triggered dramatic scenes in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The House previously witnessed chaotic scenes when opposition lawmakers staged a dramatic walkout during deliberations on the Electoral Act amendment bill. The protest erupted after the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business moved a motion to rescind the earlier approval of the bill, a motion widely viewed by opposition lawmakers as an attempt to undermine the clause mandating compulsory electronic transmission of election results from polling units to collation centres. [The Times of Israel](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/netanyahu-says-increasing-signs-that-khamenei-is-no-more/?claude-citation-de35073e-75b4-4d02-91a4-7fcf5ff0bafe=dca3417a-1be8-4b39-b5db-1b0c3b5c3446)
What Happens Next — Presidential Assent Required
If eventually signed into law, the amendment is expected to strengthen the legal framework regulating party affiliation and introduce criminal penalties for violations relating to party membership. [tv7israelnews](https://www.tv7israelnews.com/vod/series/563/?episode-id=OUeheHbpukg&claude-citation-de35073e-75b4-4d02-91a4-7fcf5ff0bafe=d2b794d4-7c0a-4c9c-8990-49fbc7f3999e) The bill now moves to President Tinubu for his signature — and given that the amendment was passed by the APC-controlled House with strong support from the ruling party, presidential assent is widely expected.
Once signed, INEC will need to develop operational protocols for cross-checking membership registers, detecting dual registrations, and referring cases to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for prosecution. The commission has indicated in the past that its digital membership database — still being developed — will eventually make such cross-checking technically feasible.
Wetin This New Law Mean for Nigerian Politicians and Ordinary Nigerians
For ordinary Nigerians wey dey follow politics, this amendment na one of the most direct attacks on the culture of "Ghana must go" politics wey don define Nigeria's political system for decades.
Every election season, Nigerians don dey watch the same pattern. A politician lose primary for one party. The next day, dem don appear for another party — still carrying their original party card, still collecting from both sides, still hedging their bets. The system don tolerate this behaviour for so long that many politicians no even see am as wrong anymore.
If this amendment sign into law and INEC get the tools to enforce am properly, that pattern go become criminally risky. ₦10 million fine or two years in jail na serious consequence — even for a Nigerian politician.
But Nigerians have seen many laws wey dey look strong on paper but weak in enforcement. The real test of this amendment go come the first time a high-profile politician dey caught with dual membership — and whether the system go have the courage to prosecute am. That na when we go know if this law get teeth. 🦷🇳🇬
Source: This report is based on statements confirmed and reported by Punch, Daily Trust, Hallmark News, National Network Online, Per Second News, and eNews Nigeria, citing the House of Representatives plenary session presided over by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu on March 11, 2026.