The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has nullified the abridge timeline issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conduct of primaries and the nomination of candidates, ahead of the 2027 general election.
Justice Mohammed Umar delivering a judgement also set aside the INEC’s May 10 deadline requiring political parties to submit a register and database of all their members as a condition for qualifying to participate in the general elections.
It held that the time frame the electoral umpire announced for political parties to conduct their primaries and to make changes to the particulars of their candidates for the general elections is inconsistent with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The judgment followed a legal action brought by the Youth Party (YP) to compel INEC to comply with the Electoral Act 2026’s 120‑day pre‑election deadline for submitting party registers and candidates’ personal particulars.
Justice Umar, while agreeing with the YP, declared that in view of the provisions of Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which requires political parties to submit the personal particulars of their candidates not later than 120 days before an election, “INEC cannot lawfully abridge or limit that statutory period by prescribing a shorter timeframe in its 2027 election timetable”.
INEC had directed political parties to submit their register of party members not later than 21 days before the holding of their respective primaries.
In reaction, The African Democratic Congress (ADC) welcomed the ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja,describing it as a vindication of its objections to key aspects of the electoral body’s guidelines at the time they were issued.
the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the ruling which removed the impediment placed by the guidelines on politicians who wished to seek alternative platforms to contest elections, was a positive development that would promote freedom of association.
