The Court of Appeal in Abuja has set aside a Federal High Court judgement that nullified parts of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) guidelines for the 2027 general elections.
In a judgement delivered on Thursday, a three-member panel of the appellate court barred further implementation of the lower court’s decision challenging the electoral guidelines.
The lead judgement, prepared by Justice Adebukola Banjoko and read by Justice Okon Abang, held that the Youth Party failed to demonstrate how the guidelines affected its primary election or the submission of candidates for the 2027 polls.
The court held that, “The Youth Party could not establish any injury arising from the guidelines to justify the institution of the suit.”
The court also ruled that the Federal High Court erred in nullifying parts of the guidelines and described the decision as a miscarriage of justice.
On May 20, Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, ruled that INEC had no constitutional or statutory powers to compel political parties to conduct their primaries within timelines fixed by the commission.
The trial court also voided provisions requiring political parties to submit their membership registers and candidates’ particulars ahead of the timelines prescribed by the Electoral Act.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, INEC, through its counsel, Alex Izinyon, appealed the judgement, arguing that the trial court failed to determine its preliminary objection that the suit was hypothetical and academic, thereby denying the commission a fair hearing.
The Court of Appeal upheld INEC’s appeal, set aside the lower court’s judgement, and restored the validity of the commission’s guidelines for the 2027 general elections.
