INEC wins appeal as court restores 2027 election timetable

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) guidelines for the conduct of the 2027 general election, overturning a Federal High Court judgment that nullified key aspects of the electoral timetable.

In a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday, the appellate court set aside the May 20 decision of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which had invalidated parts of the guidelines and restrained INEC from implementing them.

The lead judgment, prepared by Justice Adebukola Banjoko and read by Justice Okon Abang, held that the Youth Party (YP), which instituted the suit against INEC, lacked the legal standing to challenge the guidelines.

Justice Banjoko said the party failed to demonstrate how the guidelines adversely affected it or its members in conducting party primaries for the nomination of candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.

The court further held that the Youth Party did not establish how the guidelines interfered with the submission of its nominated candidates to INEC.

The three-member panel unanimously found that the Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Mohammed Umar, erred in law when it nullified the guidelines on the grounds that they conflicted with provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.

The appellate court said the lower court’s decision amounted to a miscarriage of justice.

INEC had appealed the ruling, arguing that the High Court failed to determine whether the suit was hypothetical and academic and denied the commission a fair hearing.

Represented by senior advocate Dr Alex Izinyon, the electoral body urged the Court of Appeal to overturn the judgment, which had invalidated parts of the commission’s election timetable for the 2027 polls.

The Federal High Court had struck down INEC’s timetable for the conduct of party primaries and the nomination of candidates, as well as the commission’s May 10 deadline requiring political parties to submit their membership registers and databases as a condition for participation in the elections.

Justice Umar had ruled that the timelines for conducting primaries and for the submission, withdrawal or replacement of candidates were inconsistent with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.

In its appeal, dated May 25, 2026, INEC raised nine grounds of appeal and asked the appellate court to set aside the judgment and stay its execution.

With the Court of Appeal’s decision, INEC’s guidelines and timetable for the conduct of the 2027 general election have been restored.