By Kingston Magare 16.7.2026
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s revised guidelines for the 2027 general elections can proceeds, the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has ruled.
The three-member panel of the Court unanimously set aside the May 20 decision of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which had invalidated parts of INEC’s timetable for party primaries, candidate nominations and other pre-election activities.
It held that the trial court failed to follow binding judicial precedents and ruled that INEC’s revised timetable is subsidiary legislation made pursuant to the Electoral Act 2026 and therefore has the force of law.
The court further held that “every deadline in the Revised Timetable for the 2027 general elections fell within the ambit of the Electoral Act.”
The ruling followed an appeal filed by INEC after Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court declared that the commission lacked the power to impose timelines that shortened the periods provided under the Electoral Act 2026.
The lower court had nullified INEC’s deadlines for political parties to conduct primaries, submit candidates’ particulars, withdraw or replace candidates and submit their membership registers and databases, holding that they were inconsistent with the Electoral Act.
