The Independent National Electoral Commission (Independent National Electoral Commission) has said it will carefully study a Federal High Court judgment that nullified aspects of its timetable for the 2027 general elections before deciding its next course of action.
The ruling, delivered on Wednesday by a Federal High Court in Abuja, voided INEC’s revised schedule guiding political party primaries and the nomination of candidates ahead of the 2027 polls.
Under the disputed timetable, political parties were expected to submit their membership registers by May 10, conduct primaries to select candidates, and process withdrawals and replacements before the end of May.
However, the court held that INEC lacked statutory authority to shorten or impose timelines on political parties beyond what is provided in law.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2016, was filed by the Youth Party on March 11, with INEC listed as the sole defendant.
The plaintiff, through counsel J.O. Olotu, had argued that INEC’s powers under Sections 29, 82, and 84(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, do not extend to fixing deadlines for party primaries. The suit sought declarations limiting INEC’s role to receiving notices, monitoring primaries, and handling candidate submissions without prescribing timelines.
Delivering judgment, Justice Mohammed Umar held that INEC cannot “fix or prescribe the timetable within which political parties may conduct their primary elections for the purpose of nominating candidates for the 2027 general elections.”
The court further ruled that INEC’s statutory responsibilities under the Electoral Act do not include determining timelines for party primaries, stressing that doing so would amount to overreach.
“A declaration is hereby made that upon a proper consideration and interpretation of the provisions of sections 29, 82 and 84(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, the powers of the defendant to receive notice of party primaries and the personal particulars of candidates, and its duty to attend, observe and monitor such primaries, does not extend to fixing or prescribing the timetable within which political parties may conduct their primary elections,” the judge ruled.
Justice Umar also held that the commission cannot lawfully reduce or abridge the statutory period allowed for political parties to submit candidates’ particulars.
Reacting to the judgment, INEC said it had not yet received the enrolled order of the court and would only respond after a full review.
Speaking with TheCable, the Commission’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, said INEC was still assessing the ruling.
“We have not received the judgement, and we cannot comment on it. Yes, the judgement is in the public domain, and we don’t know the reasons for the decision that was taken,” she said.
“So, there’s need to study the whole judgement and decide on the next step to take.”
