INEC Appeals Court Ruling on Party Primaries Deadlines

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has filed an appeal against a judgment delivered by Justice Moham Umar on May 20, which nullified INEC's timelines for conducting party primaries and submitting candidates for the 2027 general elections. The court ruled that INEC does not possess the authority to prescribe timelines for political parties to conduct primaries for the nomination of candidates.

The judgment stemmed from a suit filed by the Youth Party (YP) on March 11, which challenged the timelines set by INEC. The court's ruling allows political parties to submit updated membership registers until September 2026.

INEC's appeal is based on nine grounds, with counsel Alex Izinyon arguing that the trial judge failed to determine whether the suit was hypothetical and incorrectly interpreted sections of the Electoral Act. INEC seeks an order to set aside the judgment and contends that the trial court did not apply the provisions of the Electoral Act correctly.