Court Orders INEC to Revise 2027 Election Timetable

On Tuesday, Justice Jame Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja issued a ruling requiring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to revise its timetable for the 2027 general elections to align with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026. This judgment stemmed from a suit filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which argued that the current timetable did not conform to the stipulated timeframes for political parties to submit their membership registers and candidate nominations.

The court noted that the INEC's revised timetable allowed only 90 days for parties to submit their candidate names, which is inconsistent with the 120-day requirement set by the Electoral Act. The court emphasized that INEC cannot reduce the timeframes established by law and must ensure that political parties have adequate time to conduct their primaries and submit nominations.

The court's ruling mandates that the INEC's timetable must reflect the legal requirements, with deadlines for presidential and gubernatorial elections set for January 16, 2027, and February 6, 2027, respectively.