Appeal Court Reverses High Court, Upholds INEC'S 2027 Election Timetable

  *Says Youth Party Lacked Legal Standing to Challenge Poll Guidelines The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned the Federal High Court ju...

 

*Says Youth Party Lacked Legal Standing to Challenge Poll Guidelines

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned the Federal High Court judgment that nullified the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)'s timetable for political party primaries and the nomination of candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday, the appellate court upheld INEC's powers to issue the election timetable and dismissed the suit filed by the Youth Party (YP), ruling that the party lacked the legal standing to challenge the electoral guidelines.

The lead judgment, prepared by Justice Adebukola Banjoko and read by Justice Okon Abang, held that the Youth Party failed to demonstrate how INEC's timetable had infringed on its rights or affected its participation in the 2027 electoral process.

The appellate court ruled that INEC acted within the powers conferred on it by law in issuing the timetable and declared that the Federal High Court had wrongly granted the reliefs sought by the Youth Party.

According to the court, a political party can only seek judicial intervention where there is a clear threat to its constitutional or legal right to participate in an election, a condition the Youth Party failed to establish.

The judgment effectively restores INEC's timetable and removes a major legal obstacle to preparations for the 2027 general elections.

The appellate court's decision reverses the May ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Justice Mohammed Umar held that INEC lacked the authority to prescribe timelines for political parties to conduct their primaries.

Justice Umar had ruled that the powers granted to INEC under Sections 29, 82 and 84(1) of the Electoral Act did not extend to fixing schedules for party primaries, and consequently nullified the commission's timetable.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2016, was instituted by the Youth Party on March 11, with INEC named as the sole defendant.