A Federal High Court in Abuja has set aside key provisions in the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Election, ruling that the electoral body lacks the power to shorten timelines already provided under the Electoral Act, 2026.
Justice Mohammed Umar, in a judgment delivered on Wednesday, held that the deadlines imposed by INEC for political parties to conduct primaries, submit candidates’ particulars, withdraw and replace candidates, and conclude campaigns were inconsistent with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2016, was filed by the Youth Party against INEC. The plaintiff challenged the commission’s authority to prescribe timelines that effectively reduced statutory periods granted to political parties under the Electoral Act.
In the judgment, the court ruled that Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act permits political parties to submit candidates’ particulars not later than 120 days before an election, adding that INEC could not lawfully reduce that period through its timetable.
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Justice Umar also held that Section 31 of the Electoral Act allows parties to withdraw and replace candidates up to 90 days before an election, stressing that INEC lacked the authority to impose earlier deadlines.
The court further ruled that INEC could not publish the final list of candidates earlier than the 60-day minimum period stipulated under Section 32 of the Act.
On political campaigns, the judge declared that the commission had no statutory authority under Section 98 of the Electoral Act to mandate that campaigns must end two days before elections.
The court additionally clarified that the timeline for submission of membership registers does not apply to primaries conducted for the replacement of withdrawn candidates.
Consequently, Justice Umar nullified all aspects of INEC’s revised timetable that were found to be inconsistent with the Electoral Act, including provisions relating to party primaries, candidate submissions, candidate replacement, publication of final candidates’ lists, and campaign timelines.
The ruling is expected to provide fresh opportunities for aggrieved politicians who lost in recent party primaries, especially within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), where several aspirants have protested alleged imposition of candidates and irregularities in the selection process.
Before the judgment, INEC had directed all 18 registered political parties to submit membership registers by May 10 and conclude primaries and candidate replacement processes before the end of May.
