The Independent National Electoral Commission, Independent National Electoral Commission, has approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja seeking to overturn a Federal High Court judgment that nullified parts of its guidelines and timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The electoral commission also filed a motion asking the appellate court to stay execution of the judgment pending the determination of the appeal.
The commission, through its lawyer, Alex Izinyon, filed the notice of appeal and motion on May 25, challenging the May 20 ruling delivered by Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The lower court had ruled in favour of the Youth Party, holding that INEC exceeded its statutory powers by fixing restrictive timelines for party primaries and other pre-election activities ahead of the 2027 polls.
Justice Umar held that INEC lacked the authority to prescribe the timeframe within which political parties must conduct primaries for the nomination of candidates. The court also voided INEC’s directive requiring political parties to submit updated membership registers and databases by May 10 as a condition for participating in the elections.
In its appeal, INEC raised nine grounds, arguing that the trial court erred in law and failed to properly interpret Sections 29(1), 82, 84, and 151 of the Electoral Act 2026.
The commission further argued that the suit filed by the Youth Party was hypothetical, academic, and lacking legal standing. INEC also maintained that the trial judge failed to address the jurisdictional issue raised before the court, which it described as a denial of fair hearing.
“The judgment of the trial court is against the weight of evidence placed before it,” INEC stated in its appeal documents.
The dispute centres on whether the electoral body has the power to regulate timelines for party primaries and submission of candidate information beyond the provisions already stated in the Electoral Act.
Justice Umar had ruled that political parties are only required under the Electoral Act to notify INEC at least 21 days before conducting primaries and to submit candidates’ particulars not later than 120 days before the general election. According to the court, INEC cannot lawfully shorten those timelines through administrative guidelines.
The ruling had raised concerns over preparations for the 2027 elections, especially as several political parties had already begun or concluded aspects of their primary processes based on INEC’s timetable.
The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and state assembly elections are slated for February 6, 2027.
