2027 Election: Fresh Court Battles Brew Over Party Primaries, Details Emerge

• The Supreme Court restored four key provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 governing party membership registers and candidate nominations in a unanimous judgment
• Several high-profile politicians, including ex-IGP Mohammed Adamu and ex-Minister Isa Pantami, may face scrutiny over their nomination processes following the ruling
• Senior lawyers are divided on whether the judgment could affect primaries already concluded ahead of the 2027 general elections

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.

FCT, Abuja - Nigeria’s political space is bracing for potential legal challenges over party primaries ahead of the 2027 elections.

As reported on Sunday, September 27, by The Punch, this follows the Supreme Court’s restoration of provisions in the Electoral Act 2026 regulating party membership registers and candidate nominations.

2027 party primaries face fresh legal battles

Per BusinessDay, a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Adamu Jauro, unanimously ruled on Thursday, September 24, in Appeal No. SC/CR/495/2026, to restore Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act. The decision reversed an earlier July 16 ruling by the Court of Appeal, which had declared those provisions unconstitutional. The Supreme Court had heard INEC's appeal on September 16 after the Federal High Court dismissed a challenge brought by the Zenith Labour Party.

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The restored provisions require political parties to submit membership registers to the Independent National Electoral Commission within a set period and to use those registers for their primaries. Section 84(2) covers the use of direct primaries or consensus in nominating candidates.

2027 election: Candidates face legal challenges

The judgment did not specifically disqualify any candidate, but it has drawn attention to several figures. Former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu emerged as the Social Democratic Party's governorship candidate in Nasarawa State through a substitution primary. Former House of Representatives Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda emerged as the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Rivers State. Senator Saliu Mustapha defected from the APC to the Peoples Democratic Party before picking the PDP's senatorial ticket for Kwara Central.

Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Isa Pantami is also at the centre of a separate dispute. A Federal High Court in Gombe nullified the PDP primary that produced him on September 24, 2026, after he emerged through voice affirmation following his defection from the APC to the PDP. The challenge was filed by fellow aspirant Usman Garry. The court ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh primary within 30 days, and the party has fixed September 29 for the exercise. PDP's Public Relations Officer in the state, Abdulkadir Dukku, said all eligible delegates had been directed to gather at their ward areas and vote for the aspirant of their choice.

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Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi, representing Osun East, also dismissed claims that the ruling had ended his re-election bid, saying his emergence as the PDP's candidate for Osun Central Senatorial District in 2027 was done strictly in line with the Constitution and the Electoral Act.

'Judgment does not automatically affect nominations'

Senior Advocate Salman Jawondo told the press that the judgment carried no automatic effect on concluded nominations.

"It does not affect any nomination at all. INEC needs a fresh court pronouncement to delist them. Some people must complain before INEC can act," he said.

He added that any legal challenge must be filed within 14 days of the event being contested and only by a person with the appropriate legal standing.

Fellow SAN Bolaji Ayorinde said the ruling simply restated the constitutional framework and created no fresh ground for disqualifying candidates. He called on INEC to implement the judgment without disenfranchising candidates or parties.

NBA Ikirun Branch Chairman Abdulkareem Azeez said the court made no factual findings on the membership status, defection timelines or primary conduct of any individual candidate, and that disputed cases would ultimately require separate court proceedings to resolve.

INEC did not provide an official response before press time.

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Court declares Jonathan eligible for Nigerian election

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a federal high court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, ruled that former President Goodluck Jonathan was eligible to contest in the 2027 election.

The court's decision was delivered on May 27, 2022, by Justice Isa Dashen.

According to Justice Dashen, a section of the Nigerian Constitution, which bars individuals sworn in twice from contesting for the presidency, cannot be applied revisionally to Jonathan's situation.

Source: Legit.ng