NEWS
2027 Polls Under Threat as INEC Raises Alarm Over Court Judgments Challenging Election Timetable
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised serious concerns over recent court judgments challenging aspects of its timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 General Election, warning that the rulings could disrupt preparations for the nationwide polls if urgent clarifications are not provided by appellate courts.
The concerns were made public on Tuesday in Abuja during the Commission’s second quarterly consultative meeting with leaders of political parties, where INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed that the electoral body had already filed appeals against two separate judgments delivered by the Federal High Court.
According to Amupitan, while INEC remains respectful of judicial decisions, the rulings have created significant legal questions regarding the Commission’s constitutional and statutory powers to coordinate and regulate electoral processes ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Federal High Court in Abuja had recently delivered two major judgments invalidating key compressed timelines contained in INEC’s 2027 election timetable. The courts held that although INEC possesses constitutional powers to issue and adjust election schedules, it cannot rely on administrative guidelines to reduce or override statutory timelines guaranteed to political parties under the Electoral Act 2026.
Providing details of the legal battles, Amupitan explained that in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2026, Youth Party v. INEC, delivered on May 20, 2026, the court questioned certain timelines outlined in the Commission’s timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 General Election.
He further revealed that another judgment delivered on May 26, 2026, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/720/2026, Social Democratic Party (SDP) v. INEC, affirmed the Commission’s authority to issue an electoral timetable but nullified some timelines concerning the nomination and substitution of candidates.
“In view of the differing conclusions reached in the judgments and in order to ensure certainty and stability in preparations for the 2027 General Election, the Commission has filed appeals against the decisions and has taken the necessary legal steps to obtain authoritative pronouncements from the appellate courts,” Amupitan said.
The INEC Chairman stressed that the activities captured in the Commission’s timetable are interconnected operational processes carefully designed to guarantee transparent, orderly and successful elections across the federation.
He explained that although the Electoral Act specifically provides timelines for certain electoral activities, many other critical processes necessary for the conduct of elections are not expressly covered by the law and must therefore be accommodated within the broader electoral calendar.
Among such activities, he listed the submission and verification of party membership registers, monitoring of party primaries nationwide, uploading names of winners of monitored primaries on INEC’s designated portal, candidate nominations, printing of ballot papers and result sheets, training of election personnel, voter education campaigns and deployment of election materials.
“The absence of coordinated timelines for such activities would create uncertainty, disrupt election planning and undermine the Commission’s constitutional responsibility to organise, undertake and supervise elections in an efficient and credible manner,” he said.
Amupitan also pointed to several environmental and logistical realities that require careful planning and synchronization, including weather conditions, terrain challenges, procurement of sensitive electoral materials and configuration of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
“The Commission therefore considers it imperative that all electoral activities be harmonised within a coherent and workable framework that promotes certainty, transparency, administrative efficiency and equal treatment of all political parties,” he added.
Despite the legal disputes currently surrounding the election timetable, the INEC Chairman assured Nigerians and political parties that the Commission remains committed to conducting the 2027 General Election in strict compliance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act and all lawful judicial pronouncements.
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Dr. Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, blamed the exclusion of indirect primaries from Nigeria’s electoral framework for many of the disputes, tensions and administrative crises witnessed during the recently concluded party primaries ahead of the 2027 elections.
Dantalle argued that the implementation of Section 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, which restricted political parties to either consensus arrangements or direct primaries, created operational difficulties and avoidable conflicts within parties.
According to him, the removal of indirect primaries eliminated a flexible mechanism that previously helped political parties manage internal competition and reduce tensions among aspirants.
“The experience of the just-concluded nomination exercise demonstrates that the removal of indirect primaries created considerable constraints for political parties,” he said.
He explained that many parties were compelled to adopt consensus arrangements despite having several aspirants who had already purchased nomination forms and openly expressed interest in contesting elections.
Dantalle revealed that in many situations, aspirants were persuaded or allegedly pressured to step down after party leaders had endorsed preferred candidates, a development that generated dissatisfaction and eventually triggered legal disputes.
While some aspirants accepted the outcomes in the interest of party unity, others challenged their exclusion, insisting that true consensus must be voluntary, transparent and inclusive.
The IPAC Chairman further disclosed that some political parties restricted access to nomination forms or failed to properly publicize primary election schedules in order to avoid complications associated with direct primaries.
According to him, such developments reflected unintended consequences of the present legal framework guiding party nominations.
Dantalle therefore called on the National Assembly to urgently review the Electoral Act 2026 with a view to restoring flexibility in the conduct of party primaries and strengthening internal democracy within political parties.
He also expressed concerns over the short timeline given to political parties to submit updated membership registers, including National Identification Numbers (NIN), warning that logistical challenges led to the exclusion of many genuine party members.
Dantalle recalled that IPAC had earlier warned about the likely consequences of certain provisions of the Electoral Act during its February 2026 General Assembly in Abuja, where it appealed to lawmakers to reconsider the ban on indirect primaries.
According to him, recent developments have now validated those earlier concerns, making urgent electoral reforms necessary to prevent future disputes and ensure smoother electoral processes ahead of the 2027 General Election.