The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified key timelines issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for political party primaries and candidate nominations ahead of the 2027 general election.
In a judgment delivered in Abuja, Justice Mohammed Umar ruled that portions of INEC’s revised timetable for the 2027 elections were inconsistent with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
The court also voided INEC’s May 10 deadline requiring political parties to submit their membership registers and databases as part of conditions for participating in the elections.
The judgment followed a suit instituted by the Youth Party (YP), which challenged the electoral body’s powers to fix timelines for party primaries and alter deadlines already stipulated under the law.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2016, with the elections management body listed as the sole defendant, the YP argued that INEC exceeded its statutory authority under the Electoral Act.
Although the judgment was delivered on Wednesday, the Certified True Copy was made available on Thursday.
Delivering judgment in favour of the plaintiff, Justice Umar held that Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 grants political parties up to 120 days before an election to submit the personal particulars of their candidates.
The judge maintained that INEC lacked the legal authority to shorten that period through its election timetable.
The court further ruled that Section 31 of the Electoral Act permits political parties to withdraw or substitute candidates not later than 90 days before an election, stressing that INEC cannot impose an earlier deadline.
Justice Umar also faulted the Commission’s timetable concerning the publication of the final list of candidates, noting that Section 32 of the Electoral Act provides a minimum 60-day period which cannot be abridged by administrative directives.
In addition, the court granted other reliefs sought by the Youth Party, declaring that INEC does not possess the statutory powers under Section 98 of the Electoral Act to fix the closure of political campaigns two days before an election.
The court equally ruled that INEC’s prescribed timeframe for the submission of membership registers does not apply to primary elections conducted for the replacement of withdrawn candidates.
Consequently, the court set aside aspects of INEC’s revised timetable relating to party primaries, submission of candidates’ particulars, withdrawal and replacement of candidates, publication of final candidate lists and campaign schedules that conflict with the Electoral Act 2026.
The ruling is expected to significantly impact preparations for the 2027 general election, as political parties and the electoral commission review the implications of the judgment and consider their next line of action.
