The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has set aside the Federal High Court judgment that nullified the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) revised timetable for the 2027 general elections.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday, a three-member panel of the appellate court upheld INEC’s appeal, ruling that the electoral body acted within the powers granted to it under the Electoral Act, 2026.
The Court of Appeal held that the revised timetable issued by INEC constitutes subsidiary legislation and therefore carries the same force of law as the Electoral Act. It further ruled that all deadlines contained in the timetable fall within the provisions of the law.
The appellate court faulted the trial court for failing to follow established legal precedents, leading to the reversal of the earlier judgment.
INEC had challenged the May 20 judgment of the Federal High Court, which invalidated the commission’s timelines for political parties to conduct primaries, nominate candidates and submit membership registers ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The electoral body argued that the lower court failed to determine key jurisdictional issues and denied it a fair hearing. It also maintained that the suit filed by the Youth Party (YP) was hypothetical, academic and lacked legal merit.
In its appeal, INEC further contended that the Federal High Court wrongly interpreted Sections 29, 82 and 84 of the Electoral Act, 2026, insisting that it possesses the statutory authority to issue timelines and guidelines for the conduct of elections.
The appellate court agreed with INEC’s position, thereby restoring the commission’s revised timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The legal dispute arose after the Youth Party successfully challenged INEC’s election timetable at the Federal High Court, where Justice Mohammed Umar ruled that the commission’s deadlines for party primaries, candidate nominations and submission of party registers were inconsistent with the Electoral Act, 2026.
With Thursday’s judgment, the Court of Appeal has effectively reinstated INEC’s timetable and timelines for preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
