The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court has struck down guidelines issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) requiring political parties to submit their full membership registers and databases by May 10 as a condition for participation in the 2027 general elections.
Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice M.G. Umar held that INEC acted outside its powers by attempting to shorten the statutory timeline provided under the Electoral Act.
The ruling followed a suit filed by the Youth Party, which challenged the electoral commission’s directive.
“A Declaration is made that having regards to Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026 which requires political parties to submit the personal particulars of their candidates not later than 120 days to an election, the Defendant cannot lawfully abridge or limit that statutory period by prescribing a shorter time frame in its 2027 elections,” the court declared.
Justice Umar further ruled that all registered political parties now have until September to submit updated membership lists, effectively nullifying INEC’s earlier May 10 deadline.
The judgment provides relief for political actors, particularly those who lost party primaries and may still be considering switching platforms ahead of the elections.
The 2027 general elections have been scheduled for January 16, 2027 for the presidential and National Assembly polls, while governorship and State House of Assembly elections are fixed for February 6, 2027.
