Supreme Court Reserves Judgment on INEC's Appeal in 2026

On September 16, 2026, Nigeria's Supreme Court reserved judgment in an appeal filed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) challenging a Court of Appeal decision that struck down specific provisions of the Electoral Act 2026. The case, marked SC/CR/495/2026, concerns provisions related to political party primaries and membership registers, which the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) argued were in conflict with the 1999 Constitution.

Justice Adamu Jauro presided over a seven-member panel and announced that the court would not deliver its ruling immediately after hearing submissions from both parties. The dispute originated from a suit filed by the ZLP in Abuja, tagged FHC/ABJ/509/2026, which was dismissed by Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court on May 5, 2026.

The ZLP's subsequent appeal to the Court of Appeal resulted in a ruling in their favor, leading INEC to escalate the matter to the Supreme Court, where the ZLP is the respondent. The Supreme Court did not specify when it would announce its judgment.