Appeal Court Hands INEC Major Legal Victory Ahead of 2027 Elections
- The Court of Appeal has overturned a ruling that nullified parts of INEC's guidelines ahead of the 2027 elections.
- The appellate court has ruled the Youth Party lacked legal standing to challenge the electoral guidelines.
- The judgment has restored INEC's disputed guidelines, leaving political parties to follow the commission's timetable
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned a Federal High Court judgment that had cancelled parts of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)'s guidelines for the 2027 general elections.
The appellate court ruled on Thursday, July 16, that the Youth Party, which filed the lawsuit against INEC, had no legal standing to challenge the guidelines because it failed to show how they harmed the party or its members.
Source: Twitter
Justice Adebukola Banjoko, whose lead judgment was read by Justice Okon Abang, held that the party did not prove it suffered any injury from the guidelines during its primary election process or the submission of candidates for the 2027 polls.
Because of that, the court held that the case should not have gone ahead.
Appeal court faults earlier judgment
The three-member panel, as shared by The Punch, also found that the Federal High Court made a mistake when it struck down parts of INEC's electoral guidelines in May.
According to the Appeal Court, the lower court's decision resulted in a miscarriage of justice.
The court also agreed with INEC that the trial judge failed to first decide the commission's preliminary objection that the case was merely hypothetical before delivering judgment.
What the High Court had ruled
In its May 20 judgment, the Federal High Court held that INEC could not compel political parties to conduct their primary elections within timelines fixed by the commission.
The court also voided parts of INEC's timetable requiring political parties to submit membership registers and candidates' details before the deadlines provided in the Electoral Act.
The judge ruled that the electoral body lacked the constitutional and statutory powers to shorten timelines already set by the law.
Source: Twitter
What the ruling means
With the Appeal Court setting aside the earlier judgment, INEC's electoral guidelines for the 2027 general elections remain valid.
The decision means political parties must now comply with the commission's timetable for primaries and the submission of candidate information unless another court rules otherwise.
INEC extends 2027 candidate submission deadline
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that INEC extended the deadline for political parties to submit candidates for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections by three additional days.
The electoral commission said the decision followed an appeal from the Inter-Party Advisory Council after some political parties failed to meet the original July 11 submission deadline.
INEC urged affected parties to use the extension to upload candidates’ names and required details, stressing that no further deadline extension would be announced.
Islamic scholars back Tinubu ahead of 2027
Legit.ng previously disclosed that the Coalition for Young Islamic Scholars in Nigeria declared support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid through a partnership with the City Boy Movement.
The coalition’s president, Bashir Abdullahi Ismail, said members unanimously endorsed the alliance and planned community outreach to encourage support for Tinubu ahead of the election.
Source: Legit.ng
