BY AHMED AKANBI
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Thursday restored the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s timetable for the 2027 general elections.
In a unanimous judgment by a three-member panel, the appellate court vacated the Federal High Court decision of May 20 that had nullified the timelines issued by INEC.
The court held that the trial judge failed to follow binding precedents in striking down the Revised Timetable. It declared that the document is legally recognised as subsidiary legislation to the Electoral Act 2026.
According to the panel, subsidiary legislation carries the same force of law as the Electoral Act itself. The court therefore ruled that INEC acted within its statutory powers in fixing dates for primaries, nominations and other pre-election activities.
The appellate court further stated that every deadline in the Revised Timetable falls squarely within the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
INEC had approached the Appeal Court through a nine-ground notice of appeal filed on May 25. The commission argued that the high court erred by not determining the jurisdictional issues it raised.
It also contended that the suit by the Youth Party (YP) was hypothetical and academic. INEC said the trial court’s failure to pronounce those issues amounted to a denial of fair hearing.
The commission maintained that the high court was wrong to hold that it could not impose timelines for political parties to conduct primaries or submit registers and candidates’ names.
INEC insisted that the judgment was against the weight of evidence before the court. It urged the Appeal Court to allow the appeal, set it aside, and strike out YP’s case for lacking locus standi.
The legal battle started after Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court invalidated INEC’s schedule for primaries and nominations. He also voided the May 10 deadline for parties to submit membership registers for the 2027 polls.
With this ruling, INEC’s 2027 election calendar is now fully operational and binding on all political parties ahead of the general elections.