A Federal High Court in Abuja has delivered a major ruling ahead of the 2027 general elections, striking down parts of the timetable issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for party primaries and candidate nominations.
The judgment provides relief to political parties by nullifying several deadlines INEC had imposed.
Justice Mohammed Umar, who presided over the matter, ruled that INEC’s schedule conflicted with provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
Among the invalidated directives was the May 10 deadline requiring political parties to submit their membership registers and databases as a prerequisite for participation in the elections.
The case was filed by the Youth Party (YP), which challenged INEC’s authority to shorten timelines already guaranteed under the Electoral Act.
The party argued that the commission lacked the legal powers to dictate when political parties must conduct primaries or submit candidates’ details outside the framework established by law.
In his ruling, Justice Umar agreed with the plaintiff, stating that Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act allows parties to submit candidates’ particulars up to 120 days before an election.
Consequently, INEC could not lawfully reduce that period through its election timetable.
The court also held that Section 31 of the Electoral Act permits parties to withdraw or replace candidates up to 90 days before an election, meaning INEC had no authority to impose an earlier deadline.
Additionally, the judge ruled that the commission could not publish the final list of candidates earlier than the 60-day minimum period prescribed by law.
Furthermore, the court declared that INEC lacked the statutory authority to end political campaigns two days before elections.
It also clarified that deadlines for membership register submissions do not apply to primaries conducted to replace withdrawn candidates.
The court nullified all aspects of INEC’s revised timetable found to be inconsistent with the Electoral Act 2026.
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