The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it would study the court ruling nullifying its timetable for the 2027 general election before deciding on its next action.
According to TheCable, INEC’s director of voter education and publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, revealed this on Friday in reaction to the judgment of a Federal High Court in Abuja that voided the timelines issued by the commission for the conduct of party primaries and submission of candidates by political parties.
“We have not received the judgement, and we cannot comment on it. Yes, the judgement is in the public domain, and we don’t know the reasons for the decision that was taken. So, there’s need to study the whole judgement and decide on the next step to take,” Eta-Messi said.
Under the revised timetable released by the commission, political parties were expected to submit their membership registers by May 10, conduct primaries to pick candidates, and complete withdrawals and replacements before the end of May ahead of the 2027 polls.
But in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2016 and filed by the Youth Party (YP) on March 11 with INEC as the sole defendant, the court ruled that the commission lacked the statutory powers to abridge timelines provided under the Electoral Act, 2026.
Through its lawyer, J.O. Olotu, the party sought a declaration that INEC’s powers under Sections 29, 82, and 84(1) of the Electoral Act to receive notices of party primaries, candidates’ particulars, and monitor the exercises do not include fixing timelines for political parties to conduct primaries ahead of the 2027 elections.
Delivering judgment, the judge, Mohammed Umar, ruled that INEC could not 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 judge held that the powers granted to INEC under Sections 29, 82, and 84(1) of the Electoral Act do not extend to determining timelines for party primaries.
Umar also held that INEC could not lawfully shorten the statutory period allowed for political parties to submit the particulars of candidates.
The ruling comes at a critical stage in the preparations for the 2027 elections, as many political parties across Nigeria have already conducted National Assembly, State Houses of Assembly and gubernatorial primaries while consultations, coalition talks, and internal mobilisations are ongoing ahead of their presidential primaries.
The ICIR reported that over the past months, several parties have intensified activities in preparation for candidate selection processes. INEC had unveiled its revised timetable for the 2027 polls, with most political parties expected to conduct primaries between April and May 2026.
The timetable sparked debates among political stakeholders, with opposition parties and smaller political groups arguing that the deadlines were too restrictive and could undermine internal party democracy.
Primary elections in Nigeria have historically generated major controversies, including disputes over delegate selection, imposition of candidates, parallel primaries, and prolonged legal battles that sometimes affect parties’ participation in general elections.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.