By Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has struck down key deadlines imposed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in its revised timetable for the 2027 general elections, ruling that the commission overstepped its statutory powers.
Delivering judgement on Wednesday, 20th May 2026, Justice M. G. Umar granted a series of declarations sought by the Youth Party in an originating summons filed on 11th March 2026.
The court held that INEC cannot lawfully fix or prescribe a timetable for political parties to conduct primary elections, submit candidates’ personal particulars, or withdraw and replace nominees, where such deadlines conflict with the clear provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
Specifically, the court declared that under Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, which requires parties to submit candidates’ particulars no later than 120 days to an election, INEC has no power to abridge that statutory period by imposing a shorter timeframe.
Similarly, the court ruled that Section 31 of the Act permits parties to withdraw and substitute candidates up to 90 days before an election, and that INEC cannot lawfully fix an earlier deadline for such replacements.
The judgement also declared that INEC does not possess the authority to publish the final list of candidates before the mandatory 60‑day minimum period prescribed by Section 32 of the Act.
In a striking finding, the court declared that under Section 98 of the Electoral Act, INEC has no statutory power to order that campaigning end two days before the elections, as contained in its timetable.
The court further ruled that the timeframe prescribed by INEC for submission of membership registers – which had reportedly required compliance by September – does not apply to primary elections conducted for the purpose of replacing withdrawn candidates, under a proper interpretation of Section 33 of the Electoral Act.
Consequently, Justice Umar issued an order setting aside or nullifying all timeframes imposed by INEC in its Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Election relating to:
· the conduct of primary elections;
· the submission of personal particulars of candidates;
· the withdrawal and replacement of candidates;
· the publication of the final list of candidates; and
· campaigning for the general elections,
where such timeframes are inconsistent with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The judgement, which was delivered after hearing J. O. Olotu, Esq., for the plaintiff and Sarafa Yusuf, Esq., for the defendant, effectively grants political parties until September 2026 to submit their membership registers, as originally indicated in the SaharaReporters headline accompanying the court documents.
INEC has not yet indicated whether it will appeal the ruling.
The certified true copy of the judgement was issued under the hand of the presiding judge and the seal of the court on 20th May 2026.
Mu’azu Kasimu signed as registrar.
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