Appeal Court Upholds INEC Timetable for 2027 Elections, Sets Aside High Court Judgment
By Nafiu Muhammad Lema
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned the Federal High Court judgment that nullified the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s timetable for political party primaries and the submission of candidates for the 2027 general elections.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday, the appellate court affirmed that INEC acted within its constitutional and statutory powers in issuing the election timetable and related guidelines.
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 commission’s timetable.
According to the court, the party failed to demonstrate how the INEC guidelines infringed on its rights or affected its participation in the conduct of primary elections ahead of the 2027 polls.
The Court of Appeal further ruled that the Federal High Court erred in granting the reliefs sought by the Youth Party, stressing that INEC was empowered by law to issue election schedules to ensure an orderly electoral process.
The appellate court noted that a political party can only seek judicial intervention where it can establish that its legal rights have been threatened or violated.
The ruling effectively reverses the May judgment of the Federal High Court, which had declared that INEC lacked the authority to prescribe timelines for political parties to conduct their primaries.
Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court had held that the provisions of the Electoral Act cited by INEC did not empower the commission to fix dates for party primaries. The suit was filed by the Youth Party, with INEC as the sole defendant.
With Thursday’s judgment, INEC’s timetable and guidelines for the 2027 general elections remain valid and enforceable.
