Court Restores INEC Election Timetable for 2027 Polls

Nigeria's electoral process for the 2027 general elections has received a significant boost as the Court of Appeal in Abuja set aside a Federal High Court judgment that had nullified key aspects of the Independent National Electoral Commission's (INEC) guidelines.

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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.

The appellate court unanimously ruled that the Youth Party, the plaintiff in the original suit, failed to demonstrate how the INEC guidelines affected its primary elections or candidate submissions. Justice Adebukola Banjoko, in the lead judgment, stated that the party did not establish any demonstrable injury to justify its legal challenge.

This decision effectively reinstates INEC's election timetable and guidelines, which had been invalidated on May 20 by Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court. Justice Umar had ruled that INEC lacked the constitutional powers to dictate primary election timelines and had also nullified requirements for parties to submit membership registers by specific dates, deeming them inconsistent with the Electoral Act.

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The decision occasioned a miscarriage of justice.

INEC had appealed the Federal High Court's decision, arguing that the suit was hypothetical and that the lower court erred in its interpretation of the Electoral Act. The Court of Appeal's ruling upholds INEC's authority to set timelines and guidelines for party primaries and candidate submissions, ensuring a clearer path for the upcoming 2027 elections.

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INEC was “not mandated to impose a timeframe for political parties to conduct their primaries, provided that it will be done and submitted not later than the 120 days provided by the Electoral Act, 2026,” per Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.