The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) guidelines for the conduct of the 2027 general elections, overturning an earlier Federal High Court judgment that nullified key provisions of the electoral timetable.
In a unanimous decision delivered on Thursday, the three-member appellate panel set aside the May 20 judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which had barred the implementation of the guidelines.
According to the lead judgment prepared by Justice Adebukola Banjoko and read by Justice Okon Abang, the Youth Party (YP), which challenged the guidelines, lacked the legal standing to institute the suit.
The court held that the party failed to demonstrate how the guidelines adversely affected its primary elections, the nomination of its candidates, or the submission of candidates’ particulars to INEC ahead of the 2027 polls.
The appellate court further ruled that Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court committed significant legal errors by nullifying the guidelines, describing the decision as one that resulted in a miscarriage of justice.
INEC had appealed the lower court’s ruling, arguing through its lead counsel, Dr Alex Izinyon (SAN), that the Federal High Court failed to determine whether the suit was hypothetical and academic, while also denying the commission a fair hearing.
The electoral commission had asked the Court of Appeal to overturn the judgment, which invalidated its election timetable, including the May 10 deadline for political parties to submit their membership registers and databases as a requirement for participation in the 2027 general elections.
Justice Mohammed Umar had ruled that INEC’s timeline for party primaries, candidate nominations, withdrawals and substitutions was inconsistent with provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
However, the Court of Appeal has now restored the validity of the guidelines, clearing the way for INEC to implement its timetable for preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
