A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has nullified some portions of the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Delivering the ruling on Thursday, the presiding Judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, stated that some of the deadlines imposed on political parties were inconsistent with the Electoral Act, 2026.
The court held that INEC lacked the statutory authority to shorten timelines already provided by law for the conduct of party primaries, submission of candidates’ particulars, and replacement of candidates.
New Telegraph gathered that the suit was filed by the Youth Party, which challenged the legality of INEC’s timetable and sought judicial interpretation of relevant provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
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The court also invalidated INEC’s May 10 deadline, directing political parties to submit their membership registers and databases as a prerequisite for participation in the 2027 elections.
According to the judgment, the timelines introduced by the electoral commission for political parties to conduct primaries and submit candidates’ details “are inconsistent with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.”
Justice Umar ruled that Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act clearly provides that political parties are required to submit the personal particulars of candidates not later than 120 days before an election, stressing that INEC could not lawfully reduce that period through its election timetable.
The court further held that Section 31 of the Electoral Act permits political parties to withdraw and substitute candidates up to 90 days before an election, adding that the commission lacked the power to impose an earlier deadline.
In the same vein, the court ruled that INEC could not publish the final list of candidates earlier than the 60-day minimum period stipulated under Section 32 of the Electoral Act.
The court also granted additional reliefs sought by the plaintiff, including a declaration that INEC lacked the authority under Section 98 of the Electoral Act to direct that campaigns must end two days before the election.
Another declaration issued by the court stated that the timeframe fixed by INEC for submission of party membership registers was not applicable to primary elections conducted to replace withdrawn candidates.
Consequently, the court issued an order nullifying the affected portions of INEC’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general election, particularly those relating to party primaries, submission and replacement of candidates, publication of final candidate lists and campaign timelines.
