The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned political parties that any primary election conducted after its May 30, 2026 deadline remains invalid unless an appellate court overturns an earlier Federal High Court ruling challenging aspects of the commission’s timetable for the 2027 general election.
According to The Punch, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said political parties should continue to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 while the commission’s appeal is pending before the Court of Appeal.
Haruna stated that primaries conducted outside the May 30 deadline would not be recognised unless the appellate court reverses the lower court judgment that questioned parts of INEC’s electoral timetable.
The dispute stems from a ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Justice Mohammed Umar nullified aspects of INEC’s guidelines and schedule for the 2027 elections. The judgment followed a suit filed by the Youth Party.
The court held that INEC lacked the authority to shorten timelines stipulated under Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 for the submission of party membership records and candidates’ particulars. It further ruled that the commission could not abridge statutory timelines established by the law.
In response, INEC appealed the judgment and sought a stay of execution, maintaining that its timetable was issued in accordance with its constitutional and statutory responsibilities.
Before the court ruling, INEC had approved April 23 to May 30, 2026, as the period for political parties to conduct their primaries and complete candidate nominations for the 2027 elections.
In a separate but related decision, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja affirmed INEC’s constitutional power to issue and amend election timetables. However, he stressed that the commission must exercise those powers within the limits set by the Electoral Act 2026.
Meanwhile, the appeals committee of the African Democratic Congress in Kaduna State has ordered rerun primaries in several federal and state constituencies after finding irregularities, procedural breaches and alleged fraud in some contests.
Committee chairman Muhammed Fagge said investigations uncovered issues including omitted aspirants, lack of evidence that voting took place in some areas, and other electoral irregularities. The committee ordered fresh primaries in affected constituencies, including Ikara/Kubau and Kaduna South Federal Constituencies.
The latest clarification from INEC means political parties that conduct primaries outside the commission’s May 30 deadline could face the risk of having those exercises declared invalid until the Court of Appeal delivers its verdict on the ongoing legal challenge.
