A politician may receive a public endorsement from a party leader, but formal nomination requires something more specific: certification by a person authorised to act for the party.
That is the significance behind the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s request for political parties to submit the names and specimen signatures of their authorised persons by Thursday, October 15, 2026.
In its October 14 reminder, IEBC directed parties intending to participate in the 2027 General Election to deliver the details to Anniversary Towers, seventh floor, South Tower, between 8am and 5pm. The deadline also appears in the commission’s published election timelines.
For aspirants, the requirement raises a practical question: who is legally authorised to confirm that you are your party’s candidate?
What the authorised officials actually do
Section 31(3) of the Elections Act requires every political party to notify IEBC of the person authorised to certify that its candidates have been selected. Those persons must deposit their specimen signatures with the commission.
Section 31(4) requires written certification that a candidate has been nominated by the party.
A specimen signature is a sample signature. In this context, lodging it gives IEBC a reference for the person authorised to certify the party’s nominations.
The requirement therefore establishes who can formally communicate a party’s candidate selection to the electoral commission. It connects a party’s internal decision to the documents used in the election process.
Does a party leader’s endorsement secure a ticket?
An endorsement can carry political weight. Formal nomination, however, has legal requirements.
Section 31(1) of the Elections Act links qualification for party nomination to selection under the party’s constitution or rules and certification of that nomination to IEBC. A public declaration of support does not, by itself, demonstrate that these steps have been completed.
The Elections (General) Regulations also require a party nomination certificate to be duly signed by authorised party officials.
For an aspirant, this means checking both the process through which the party selects its candidate and the authority behind the resulting paperwork.
The signature certifies the party’s decision; it does not give its holder unrestricted power to disregard the party’s nomination rules.
Another deadline follows on Friday
The signatures are one part of a wider sequence of preparations already under way.
According to the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties’ official timetable, parties must submit their election and nomination rules to the registrar by October 16, 2026.
Certification by the registrar is scheduled for completion by October 30, followed by submission of the rules to IEBC by November 6.
For prospective candidates, those rules deserve attention now. They are the documents to examine when asking how nominations will work, which party organs will administer them and how an internal complaint can be raised.
What aspirants and party members should check
An aspirant preparing for 2027 should ask the party for its nomination rules and confirmation of the officials authorised to certify nominations.
Party members should also watch for information on how they will participate in selecting candidates.
ORPP’s timetable requires parties to notify the registrar of their nomination method at least ten days before the exercise. Parties must publish nomination dates and venues on their official websites at least seven days beforehand. It also sets requirements for certified membership registers and delegate lists.
These records give members concrete information against which to assess what their party promises.
The October deadline matters because preparations for a valid party ticket begin well before candidates appear before voters. Knowing who can sign it is one part of understanding how that ticket is secured.
