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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cautioned political parties that any primary election conducted outside its May 30, 2026 deadline remains invalid unless a higher court overturns an earlier Federal High Court ruling challenging aspects of the commission’s electoral timetable.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, stated this in an interview, advising political parties to continue complying with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 pending the determination of the commission’s appeal before the Court of Appeal.
Haruna said that, for now, any primary election conducted after the May 30 deadline would not be recognised unless the appellate court sets aside the Federal High Court judgment which held that parts of INEC’s timetable were inconsistent with the Electoral Act.
He stressed that political parties should be guided by the existing provisions of the law while the legal dispute remains unresolved.
The clarification comes amid ongoing litigation over INEC’s timetable for party primaries and candidate nominations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in a suit filed by the Youth Party, the court nullified aspects of INEC’s electoral guidelines and timetable for the 2027 polls. The court held that the commission lacked the authority to shorten timelines prescribed under Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 for the submission of party membership registers and candidates’ particulars.
Justice Umar ruled that INEC acted beyond its statutory powers by abridging timelines already stipulated in the Electoral Act. Following the judgment, the commission filed an appeal and sought a stay of execution, maintaining that its timetable was issued in accordance with its constitutional and statutory responsibilities.
Prior to the ruling, INEC had fixed April 23 to May 30, 2026, as the period for political parties to conduct their primaries ahead of the 2027 elections and directed them to comply with other timelines contained in its revised election schedule.
In a related development, another Federal High Court judge, Justice James Omotosho, affirmed INEC’s constitutional authority to issue and amend election timetables. Delivering judgment in a suit instituted by the Social Democratic Party, the judge held that while the commission possesses such powers, it must exercise them within the limits prescribed by the Electoral Act 2026.
Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Primary Election Appeals Committee in Kaduna State has ordered rerun primaries in several federal and state constituencies after uncovering irregularities in the party’s recently concluded nomination exercises.
Chairman of the committee, Dr Muhammed Fagge, said the panel reviewed petitions, documentary evidence and submissions from aggrieved aspirants before arriving at its decisions. According to him, investigations revealed cases of procedural breaches, omission of aspirants from ballot papers and insufficient evidence that voting took place in some constituencies.
The committee consequently declared a number of primaries inconclusive and directed fresh elections in affected areas. In the Ikara/Kubau Federal Constituency, a rerun was ordered after findings showed that a duly screened aspirant, Ibrahim Kubau, was excluded from the ballot. A fresh exercise was also approved for Kaduna South Federal Constituency due to a lack of credible evidence that voting was conducted across all wards.
Fagge said reruns would take place in several constituencies and wards, including Kaura, Soba, Ikara, Kajuru, Badarawa/Malali, Magajin Gari II, Birnin Gwari, Tudun Wada West, Igabi, Kagarko, Kawo, Zaria, Chikun/Kajuru and Kudan/Makarfi.
He noted that the decisions were taken to preserve the credibility and integrity of the party’s nomination process, adding that no aspirant should be denied a fair opportunity because of procedural lapses or electoral irregularities.
Haruna’s latest remarks underscore the risk political parties face if they conduct primaries outside INEC’s May 30 deadline while the commission’s appeal remains pending before the Court of Appeal.
