According to a report by the ARISE News on Tuesday June 9,2026, the commission reported that it has already initiated appeals against two rulings from the Federal High Court that challenged specific timelines included in INEC’s schedule for the upcoming 2027 elections.
During the commission’s second quarterly consultative meeting with political party leaders in Abuja, INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan expressed his apprehensions.
He mentioned that although INEC acknowledges the authority of the courts, the rulings introduce critical legal issues about the limits of INEC’s constitutional and statutory powers to manage and oversee electoral processes.
Arise News indicated that a Federal High Court in Abuja had issued two significant rulings that invalidated crucial accelerated timelines outlined in the 2027 general election schedule released by INEC.
The courts determined that while INEC holds the constitutional right to establish and modify election schedules, it cannot utilize administrative rules to compress or bypass statutory time frames secured for political parties by the Electoral Act 2026.
Amupitan clarified that in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2026, Youth Party Vs INEC, adjudicated on May 20, 2026, the court scrutinized several timelines in the Commission’s election schedule for the 2027 General Election.
He further indicated that in a following ruling made on May 26, 2026, regarding Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/720/2026, Social Democratic Party (SDP) v. INEC, the court recognized the Commission’s power to set an electoral timetable but invalidated certain timelines concerning the nomination and substitution of candidates.
“To address the differing conclusions reached in the rulings and to secure certainty and stability in the preparations for the 2027 General Election, the Commission has lodged appeals against these decisions and has taken the necessary legal actions to seek definitive judgments from the appellate courts,” stated Amupitan.
The chairman of INEC asserted that the activities listed in the Commission’s schedule are interconnected operational processes intended to ensure the orderly, transparent, and successful execution of elections.
He explained that while the Electoral Act outlines timelines for specific electoral activities, there are numerous other essential processes that are not explicitly detailed in the law but need to be incorporated within the overall electoral timeline.
These processes, he mentioned, encompass the submission and verification of membership lists for political parties, monitoring party primaries nationwide, uploading the names of primary winners onto the Commission’s official portal, candidate nominations, ballot paper and result sheet printing, training election staff, conducting voter education, and distributing election materials.
Amupitan remarked, “The lack of synchronized timelines for these activities would induce uncertainty, disrupt electoral planning, and compromise the Commission’s constitutional duty to organize, conduct, and oversee elections efficiently and credibly.”
He contended that environmental and logistical considerations, such as weather, terrain, procurement of sensitive materials, and the setup of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), necessitate meticulous scheduling and coordination.
“The commission therefore considers it crucial that all electoral activities be coordinated within a cohesive and effective framework that fosters certainty, transparency, administrative efficiency, and equitable treatment of all political parties,” he added.
In spite of the legal challenges, the INEC chairman reassured political parties and the Nigerian public of the Commission’s commitment to holding the 2027 General Election in full adherence to the Constitution, the Electoral Act, and all legitimate judicial rulings.
Yusuf Dantalle, the Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), remarked that the omission of indirect primaries from Nigeria’s electoral system significantly contributed to the disputes, tensions, and administrative hurdles faced by political parties during their recently concluded primaries for the 2027 General Election.
He indicated that the enforcement of Section 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, which restricted political parties to either consensus or direct primaries, resulted in operational challenges for parties and incited unnecessary internal conflicts.
Dantalle noted that the lack of indirect primaries eliminated a flexible option that had previously enabled parties to handle internal competition and alleviate tensions among aspirants.
“The experience from the recent nomination process illustrates that the elimination of indirect primaries imposed significant limitations on political parties,” he stated.
He clarified that numerous political parties had to resort to consensus arrangements even though they had multiple aspirants who had already secured nomination forms and shown interest in running for elections.
Dantalle observed that in many instances, aspirants were either persuaded or at times pressured to withdraw after party leaders had rallied behind favored candidates, resulting in dissatisfaction and ensuing legal disputes.
He mentioned that while some aspirants accepted the outcomes for the sake of party unity, others contested their exclusion, claiming that a true consensus must be both voluntary and inclusive.
He alleged that in certain situations, parties restricted access to nomination forms or did not sufficiently advertise primary election schedules, measures he claimed were implemented to dodge the complications tied to direct primaries.
Dantalle remarked that these occurrences mirrored unintended outcomes of the existing legal structure governing party nominations.
He urged the National Assembly to promptly reevaluate the Electoral Act 2026 to reintroduce flexibility in the execution of party primaries and enhance internal democracy within political parties.
The IPAC chairman also voiced concerns regarding the short timeframe allotted to parties for submitting updated membership registers, including National Identification Numbers (NIN), stating that some legitimate members were left out due to logistical issues.
He pointed out that IPAC had previously cautioned about the ramifications of specific provisions of the Electoral Act during its February 2026 General Assembly in Abuja, where it appealed to lawmakers to reconsider the prohibition on indirect primaries.
Dantalle affirmed that recent events had substantiated those earlier warnings and called for immediate reforms to the electoral legal framework.
