Supreme Court Supports INEC in Electoral Act Dispute

On September 25, 2026, the Supreme Court upheld the appeal filed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against a Court of Appeal judgment that voided certain provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 concerning political party primaries and membership registers. INEC's appeal, represented by Dr Alex Izinyon, SAN, was successful, with Justice Adamu Jauro presiding over the seven-man panel that ruled in favor of INEC, setting aside the previous Court of Appeal judgment that favored the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

The Supreme Court also awarded costs of N2 million against ZLP. Additionally, the court dismissed two separate appeals from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Youth Party (YP) against INEC, with SDP's appeal dismissed on its merits and YP's appeal struck out for being filed one day late.

The original suit was initiated by ZLP at the Federal High Court, which had previously ruled on the disputed provisions of the Electoral Act.