Preparations for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections suffered a major setback on Thursday after the Federal High Court in Abuja nullified key sections of the election timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, triggering uncertainty across the political landscape.
In a judgment with far-reaching implications, Justice Mohammed Umar ruled that INEC acted beyond its legal powers by imposing timelines on political parties outside the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
The case, filed by the Youth Party and marked FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2026, challenged several aspects of INEC’s Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 elections.
Delivering judgment, Justice Umar upheld all six reliefs sought by the plaintiff, declaring that INEC has no statutory authority to determine when political parties must conduct their primaries.
The court held that while the electoral body can monitor party primaries and receive candidates’ details, it cannot dictate timelines beyond what is expressly provided by law.
Justice Umar specifically ruled that Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act allows political parties to submit candidates’ particulars not later than 120 days before an election, stressing that INEC cannot lawfully introduce earlier deadlines.
The judge also invalidated INEC’s restrictions on candidate substitution, maintaining that political parties are legally permitted under Section 31 of the Act to replace withdrawn candidates up to 90 days before an election.
In another significant pronouncement, the court declared unlawful INEC’s attempt to publish the final list of candidates earlier than the 60-day minimum period stipulated in the Electoral Act.
The judgment equally affected campaign regulations, as the court ruled that INEC lacked the authority under Section 98 of the Act to compel political parties to end campaigns two days before elections.
Justice Umar further clarified that timelines for submission of party membership registers during primaries cannot apply to cases involving replacement candidates.
Consequently, the court set aside all portions of INEC’s revised election timetable deemed inconsistent with the Electoral Act 2026.
The ruling has now thrown the build-up to the 2027 elections into uncertainty, with political parties, aspirants, and electoral stakeholders awaiting INEC’s response and possible legal action against the judgment.