BREAKING: A’Court sets aside judgment nullifying INEC guidelines

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned a Federal High Court decision that invalidated key electoral guidelines set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2027 general elections. The appellate court unanimously ruled that the Youth Party, which initiated the lawsuit, did not possess the legal standing to challenge the guidelines.

“

The party failed to demonstrate how the guidelines affected it or its members in the conduct of its primary election or the submission of names of its candidates for the 2027 polls.

In its judgment, the Court of Appeal found that the Federal High Court had erred in nullifying the guidelines. The appellate judges stated that the Youth Party failed to demonstrate how the specific guidelines negatively impacted its primary elections or the submission of candidate names for the 2027 polls. Consequently, the court determined that the party had not established any actionable injury to justify its suit.

“

The Youth Party did not establish any injury arising from the guidelines to justify the institution of the suit.

The Federal High Court had previously ruled that INEC lacked the constitutional and statutory authority to impose timelines for political parties' primaries and to dictate the submission of membership registers and candidate particulars ahead of statutory deadlines. However, the Court of Appeal disagreed, vacating the lower court's judgment and thereby reinstating the validity of INEC's electoral guidelines for the 2027 elections.

“

Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court erred when, on May 20, he nullified the guidelines on the grounds that they were inconsistent with some provisions of the Electoral Act, adding that the decision occasioned a miscarriage of justice.