Court nullifies INEC timelines for 2027 elections, says commission exceeded its powers
A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck down several provisions of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) timetable for the 2027 general elections, ruling that the electoral body acted beyond its legal powers by imposing deadlines on political parties.
Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court Abuja delivered the judgment on Wednesday in a suit filed by the Youth Party against the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The court held that INEC has no statutory authority to determine when political parties must conduct primaries or impose schedules that shorten timelines provided under the Electoral Act, 2026.
INEC’s disputed timetable had required parties to submit membership registers by May 10, conclude primaries within a fixed window, and complete candidate withdrawal and substitution processes before the end of May.
In his judgment, Justice Umar ruled that INEC cannot “fix or prescribe the timetable within which political parties may conduct their primary elections for the purpose of nominating candidates for the 2027 general elections.”
According to a report by TheCable, t further stated that the commission’s statutory responsibilities are limited, declaring that:
“the powers of the defendant to receive notice of party primaries and the personal particulars of candidates, and its duty to attend, observe and monitor such primaries, does not extend to fixing or prescribing the timetable within which political parties may conduct their primary elections.”
On candidate nomination deadlines, the court relied on section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, which requires submission of candidates’ particulars “not later than 120 days to an election,” holding that INEC cannot shorten this period through administrative rules.
