Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has appealed the judgment of a Federal High Court in Abuja which nullified the timelines issued for the conduct of political party primaries and nomination of candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The commission on Monday, May 25, filed a notice of appeal alongside a motion seeking a stay of execution of the lower court’s judgment.
Last Wednesday, Justice Mohammed Umar ruled that INEC lacked the legal authority to prescribe timelines for political parties to conduct primaries for the nomination of candidates.
According to the judge, the powers granted to INEC under Sections 29, 82 and 84(1) of the Electoral Act do not extend to fixing schedules for party primaries.
“INEC cannot fix or prescribe the timetable within which political parties may conduct their primary elections for the purpose of nominating candidates for the 2027 general elections,” the court held.
The ruling followed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2016, filed on March 11 by the Youth Party.
Under INEC’s revised timetable, political parties were expected to submit their membership registers by May 10, conduct primaries to select candidates, and complete withdrawals and replacement submissions before the end of May in preparation for the 2027 elections.
According to reports by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), INEC anchored its appeal on nine grounds.
Through its counsel, Alex Izinyon, the commission argued that the trial judge erred by failing to address its objection that the suit was hypothetical and academic in nature.
INEC further maintained that Sections 29(1), 82 and 84 of the Electoral Act 2026 should not have been interpreted narrowly by the court.
The commission also argued that the lower court misdirected itself by failing to apply the provisions of Section 151 of the Electoral Act 2026 in reaching its decision.
