INEC Declares Primaries After May 30 Invalid Amid Ruling

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reaffirmed that any political party primaries conducted after the May 30 deadline are invalid, as stated by INEC Chairman Mohammed Kudu Haruna. This announcement follows a ruling by Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which nullified aspects of INEC's electoral guidelines.

The court ruled that INEC could not lawfully shorten the timeline set by the Electoral Act 2026, specifically Section 29(1). INEC is appealing this ruling, which affects the scheduling of elections and mandates that political parties adhere to the established timelines.

Justice James Omotosho also delivered a conflicting judgment regarding INEC's authority to alter election timelines. The commission has set a mandatory window for political parties to conduct primaries from April 23 to May 30, 2026.

Additionally, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is seeking a rerun election across several federal state constituencies following local petitions.