Appeal Court Restores INEC’s 2027 Election Timetable

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned a Federal High Court judgment that nullified the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) revised timetable for the 2027 general elections, restoring the electoral body’s schedule.

 

In a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday, a three-member panel held that INEC acted within the powers granted to it by law in issuing the timetable. The court ruled that the revised timetable qualifies as subsidiary legislation under the Electoral Act 2026 and carries the same legal force as the Act itself.

 

The appellate court further held that all deadlines contained in the timetable were consistent with the provisions of the Electoral Act.

 

INEC had appealed the May 20 judgment of the Federal High Court, which invalidated its timetable for party primaries, candidate nominations and submission of party registers.

 

The commission argued that the lower court erred in law by failing to determine key jurisdictional issues and maintained that the suit filed by the Youth Party was hypothetical and lacked merit.

 

The Federal High Court had ruled that INEC lacked the authority to shorten statutory timelines provided under the Electoral Act, including the 120-day deadline for submission of candidates’ particulars, the 90-day period for candidate substitution, and the 60-day period for publishing the final list of candidates.

 

However, the Court of Appeal set aside the judgment, affirming that INEC’s revised timetable complies with the Electoral Act and remains legally valid for the conduct of the 2027 general elections.