The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that recent Federal High Court judgments affecting its 2027 election timetable could disrupt preparations for the general election unless clarified by appellate courts.
Speaking on Tuesday at INEC’s second quarterly consultative meeting with political party leaders in Abuja, INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan said the commission had already filed appeals against two rulings that questioned parts of its election schedule.
According to him, while INEC respects the authority of the courts, the judgments raise important constitutional and statutory questions about the commission’s powers to regulate electoral timelines and related activities.
The Federal High Court in Abuja recently delivered two rulings invalidating portions of INEC’s compressed timetable for the 2027 elections. The court held that although INEC can issue and adjust election schedules, it cannot use administrative guidelines to shorten or override timelines guaranteed to political parties under the Electoral Act 2026.
Amupitan explained that in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2026 (Youth Party v. INEC), decided on May 20, 2026, the court questioned several timelines in the commission’s schedule. In Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/720/2026 (SDP v. INEC), decided on May 26, 2026, the court affirmed INEC’s authority to issue a timetable but nullified some deadlines relating to candidate nomination and substitution.
“In view of the differing conclusions reached in the judgments and in order to ensure certainty and stability in preparations for the 2027 General Election, the Commission has filed appeals against the decisions and has taken the necessary legal steps to obtain authoritative pronouncements from the appellate courts,” Amupitan said.
He argued that INEC’s timetable is built around interconnected operational processes necessary for credible elections. While the Electoral Act sets deadlines for some activities, many critical processes are not expressly provided for in the law and must still fit within the electoral calendar.
These processes include verification of party membership registers, monitoring of party primaries, uploading winners’ names on INEC’s portal, candidate nominations, ballot printing, BVAS configuration, training of election personnel, voter education, and deployment of election materials.
“The absence of coordinated timelines for such activities would create uncertainty, disrupt election planning and undermine the Commission’s constitutional responsibility to organise, undertake and supervise elections in an efficient and credible manner,” he said.
Amupitan added that logistical realities such as weather, terrain, procurement timelines, and technology deployment require careful scheduling and coordination. He maintained that harmonising all activities within a workable framework is essential for transparency, administrative efficiency, and equal treatment of political parties.
Despite the legal disputes, the INEC chairman assured political parties and the public that the commission remained committed to conducting the 2027 elections in line with the Constitution, the Electoral Act, and valid judicial pronouncements.
IPAC Faults Ban on Indirect Primaries
At the same meeting, the National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Dr. Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, said the removal of indirect primaries from the Electoral Act had contributed significantly to disputes and tensions during recent party nomination exercises.
He said Section 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, which limits parties to consensus or direct primaries, created operational difficulties and intensified internal conflicts.
“The experience of the just-concluded nomination exercise demonstrates that the removal of indirect primaries created considerable constraints for political parties,” Dantalle said.
According to him, many parties resorted to consensus arrangements even where several aspirants had purchased nomination forms and indicated interest in contesting. In some cases, he said, aspirants were persuaded or pressured to step down after party leaders backed preferred candidates, leading to grievances and court cases.
He argued that genuine consensus must be voluntary and inclusive, adding that some parties also restricted access to nomination forms or failed to adequately publicise primary schedules to avoid the complications associated with direct primaries.
Dantalle urged the National Assembly to review the Electoral Act 2026 and restore flexibility in the conduct of party primaries. He also expressed concern over the tight deadline for submitting updated party membership registers containing National Identification Numbers (NINs), saying logistical challenges caused some genuine members to be excluded.
He recalled that IPAC had warned lawmakers in February 2026 about the implications of banning indirect primaries, and said recent events had validated those concerns.
“We urge the National Assembly to urgently review the Electoral Act 2026 to restore flexibility in the conduct of party primaries and strengthen internal democracy within political parties,” he said.
