The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that it has appealed two Federal High Court judgments challenging aspects of its Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Election, maintaining that the processes outlined in the timetable are interconnected and cannot be separated without disrupting the entire electoral programme.
Key Highlights:
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), disclosed this on Tuesday during the Commission’s Second Quarterly Consultative Meeting with leaders of political parties in Abuja.
According to him, the Commission carefully reviewed the two court rulings and subsequently approached the appellate courts to seek definitive legal interpretations on the issues raised.
The first judgment, delivered on May 20, 2026, in the case of Youth Party vs INEC (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2026), questioned certain timelines contained in the electoral timetable. The second judgment, delivered on May 26, 2026, in Social Democratic Party (SDP) vs INEC (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/720/2026), upheld INEC’s authority to issue an election timetable but nullified specific timelines relating to the nomination and substitution of candidates.
Prof. Amupitan noted that the court, in the SDP judgment, acknowledged the importance of a comprehensive timetable, stating that “an election timetable, without date for submission of parties’ membership register, timeframe for primaries, etc. is inchoate. Without this timetable, there would be chaos in our electoral system.”
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“While the Commission remains fully respectful of the decisions of the Courts and of the judicial process generally, these judgments raise important legal questions concerning the extent of the Commission’s constitutional and statutory powers in coordinating and regulating electoral activities,” he said.
The INEC chairman stressed that the election timetable is built around a series of interdependent processes designed to ensure the orderly, transparent and successful conduct of elections.
He explained that although the Electoral Act prescribes timelines for some activities, several critical electoral processes are not assigned specific statutory deadlines and must therefore be accommodated within the Commission’s broader election calendar.
Among the activities listed by the Commission are the submission and verification of party membership registers, monitoring of party primaries nationwide, uploading of primary election results to INEC’s portal, candidate nomination processes, printing of ballot papers and result sheets, quality assurance procedures, deployment of election materials, training of electoral personnel, voter education campaigns, procurement of sensitive materials, configuration of BVAS machines, and compliance with statutory requirements such as allowing political parties to inspect electoral materials under Section 42 of the Electoral Act, 2026.
“The Commission therefore considers it imperative that all electoral activities be harmonised within a coherent and workable framework that promotes certainty, transparency, administrative efficiency and equal treatment of all political parties,” Amupitan stated.
He assured political parties and the Nigerian public that despite the pending appeals, INEC remains committed to conducting the 2027 General Election in strict compliance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act and all valid court rulings.
The chairman also announced that on June 26, 2026, the Commission would provide all political parties with official access codes to its Candidate Nomination Portal, enabling authorised national officers to upload the names, personal details and other required information of nominated candidates.
He warned that the nomination portal is fully automated and will automatically shut down once the stipulated deadline expires.
