The Court of Appeal in Abuja has restored the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) guidelines for the conduct of the 2027 general elections, overturning an earlier Federal High Court decision that halted their implementation.
In a unanimous judgment delivered by a three-member panel, the appellate court ruled that the lower court erred when it nullified parts of the electoral timetable and guidelines issued by INEC.
The court set aside the May 20 judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which had invalidated the commission’s timelines for party primaries, candidate nominations, and other preparations ahead of the 2027 polls.
The Court of Appeal held that the Youth Party (YP), which challenged INEC’s guidelines, lacked the legal standing to institute the suit.
According to the lead judgment prepared by Justice Adebukola Banjoko and delivered by Justice Okon Abang, the party failed to show how the guidelines directly affected its rights, members, or internal processes for selecting candidates.
The court also ruled that YP did not demonstrate how the guidelines interfered with the submission of its candidates’ names to INEC.
The appellate court criticised the Federal High Court’s decision, stating that the judgment was based on significant legal mistakes that resulted in a miscarriage of justice.
Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court had earlier ruled that some aspects of INEC’s election timetable were inconsistent with provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The judgment had affected INEC’s deadlines requiring political parties to conduct primaries, submit candidate details, and provide membership registers and databases before participating in the 2027 elections.
INEC had challenged the Federal High Court ruling, arguing that the decision wrongly prevented the commission from carrying out its constitutional responsibility of organising elections.
Through its counsel, Dr Alex Izinyon (SAN), the electoral body asked the Court of Appeal to overturn the judgment and allow the guidelines to remain in force.
INEC had filed nine grounds of appeal, insisting that the original suit was not properly established and that the lower court failed to address key legal issues.
With the Court of Appeal decision, INEC’s electoral roadmap for the 2027 general elections remained valid.
Political parties are expected to proceed with preparations, including internal primaries and candidate nomination processes, under the timelines set by the electoral commission.
The ruling removed a major legal obstacle ahead of Nigeria’s next general elections, where INEC will be responsible for coordinating the process from party nominations to the final polls.
