The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has filed an appeal against the judgment of the Federal High Court that invalidated parts of its guidelines for the 2027 general election.
The electoral commission is asking the Court of Appeal to overturn the decision delivered by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which nullified sections of the election guidelines issued by INEC for the conduct of the 2027 polls.
In a motion accompanying the appeal, INEC also requested an order staying the execution of the judgment delivered on May 20, 2026, pending the hearing and determination of the appeal.
Justice Muhammed Umar of the Federal High Court had earlier struck down aspects of the guidelines requiring political parties to submit their membership registers and databases by May 10 as part of conditions for participating in the 2027 general election.
The suit challenging the directive was filed by the Youth Party, which questioned the legality of the commission’s decision.
In his judgment, Justice Umar held that INEC could not lawfully shorten the timeline already provided under Section 29 Subsection 1 of the Electoral Act 2026 regarding the submission of membership records and candidates’ particulars by political parties.
However, in the appeal dated May 25, 2026, filed through its counsel, Alex Izinyon, SAN, INEC urged the appellate court to set aside the ruling.
The commission raised nine grounds of appeal, arguing that the Federal High Court failed to address the jurisdictional issue surrounding the suit, which it described as hypothetical and academic.
INEC further contended that the failure of the trial court to determine the jurisdictional issue amounted to a denial of fair hearing.
The electoral body also asked the court to dismiss the suit entirely, maintaining that the respondent lacked the legal standing to institute and sustain the action.
