A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck down key parts of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) timetable for the 2027 general election, ruling that the electoral body cannot shorten deadlines already provided for under the Electoral Act 2026.
In a judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Umar, the court nullified INEC’s schedule for political party primaries and candidate nominations, as well as its deadline for parties to submit membership registers as a condition for participating in the 2027 polls.
The ruling followed a suit filed by the Youth Party (YP), which argued that INEC’s timetable conflicted with provisions of the Electoral Act governing the submission of candidates’ particulars and party membership records.
Justice Umar held that the commission’s prescribed timelines were “inconsistent with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026”, stressing that statutory deadlines set by the National Assembly could not be reduced through administrative directives.
The court declared that Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act requires political parties to submit the personal particulars of their candidates no later than 120 days before an election.
“In view of the provisions of Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, INEC cannot lawfully abridge or limit that statutory period by prescribing a shorter timeframe in its election timetable,” the judge ruled.
The court also found that INEC lacked the authority to bring forward the deadline for the withdrawal or substitution of candidates, noting that Section 31 of the Act permits such changes up to 90 days before an election.
According to the judgment, “INEC lacks the powers to abridge or limit that statutory period by fixing an earlier deadline for the withdrawal and replacement of candidates in its 2027 election timetable.”
The Youth Party had asked the court to interpret Sections 29, 82 and 84(1) of the Electoral Act, arguing that while INEC is empowered to receive notices of party primaries and monitor the process, it has no authority to determine when political parties must conduct their primaries.
The Certified True Copy of the judgment, released on Thursday, showed that INEC was the sole defendant in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2016.
Before the ruling, INEC had directed political parties to submit their membership registers at least 21 days before their primaries and initially fixed a deadline last month. The commission later extended the submission date to this month.
Despite the legal challenge, INEC confirmed last week that all 22 registered political parties had submitted their membership registers in compliance with the Electoral Act 2026.
The judgment is expected to have significant implications for preparations ahead of the 2027 general election, particularly regarding the extent of INEC’s powers to regulate the internal nomination processes of political parties.
