The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified key aspects of the timetable issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for key pre-election activities, including the conduct of primary elections of political parties, ahead of the 2027 general elections, holding that the electoral body acted outside its statutory powers under the Electoral Act 2026.
The judgement, delivered by judge, M. G. Umar, Wednesday, gutted key parts of INEC’s Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for 2027 General Election.
In the decision, which is likely to send INEC back to the drawing board in the preparation for the general elections early next year, the judge set aside not just the timeframe for primary elections but also post-primary election activities of political parties.
Affected by the judgement are the schedules for the conduct of primary elections of political parties as well as timeframes for the nomination, withdrawal and replacement personal particulars of candidates by their political parties and the publication of the final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections by INEC.
The judgement was delivered on Wednesday in a suit filed by the Youth Party, challenging several provisions of INEC’s revised election schedule.
