By Eteteonline Team
According to a Federal High Court, INEC’s attempt to shorten and restrict timeframes beyond those specified in the Electoral Act was an abuse of its statutory authority.
In a lawsuit brought by the Youth Party, Justice Mohammed Umar ruled that INEC’s updated sequence of events for the 2027 general elections was unlawful.
The FHC’s ruling regarding INEC’s schedule is unambiguous and simple. To hold primaries, submit candidate names, and manage withdrawals and substitutes, political parties now have a significantly longer statutory window of up to 120 days before elections.
INEC’s previous deadlines, including the stringent requirement to submit membership registers, were overturned by the court.
Instead of the 48 hours that INEC had previously required, the court decided that campaigning must lawfully conclude 24 hours prior to the polls.
Politicians who lost recent primary elections may now switch to other political platforms as a direct result of this ruling.
Following the court decision, significant political defections are anticipated across major political parties, especially the All Progressives Congress (APC). As angry members and losing candidates seek safety in opposition groups, the ruling party, the APC, faces serious risks of a mass departure.
The APC has been accused by disgruntled members of manipulating primary elections, imposing candidates, marginalizing legacy members, and evading democratic selection procedures.
The exercise revealed growing divisions within the APC in a number of states, including claims of manipulated delegate procedures, exclusion of candidates, and contentious consensus agreements.
Sim Fubara, the governor of Rivers State, also declined to run for a second term, stating that he did so for the sake of the state’s unity, peace, and stability.
Mr. Fubara implied that he had to make tough decisions and deal with a lot of political pressure, but he did not reveal the reasons for his withdrawal.
The national leadership of the APC has advised the offended parties not to file lawsuits or face harsh penalties.
These resentful candidates looking for different platforms now have more political options thanks to the historic court ruling.
After faulty primaries and the imposition of candidates in their parties, people who might wish to express their political ambitions in 2027 now have more hope.
The verdict has been hailed by opposition parties as a big win for freedom of association, and they anticipate gaining a sizable number of members from the ruling party’s internal divisions.
In the past, candidates who were unable to obtain tickets in their primary parties were unable to pursue their goals by switching to another party due to INEC’s stringent regulations.
The timeline’s future is still up in the air, despite the decision creating new political turmoil. The immediate implementation of the extended timelines may be delayed since INEC has stated that its legal team is examining the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the verdict in order to determine whether there are legal grounds for an appeal.
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