Refusing to accept the Federal High Court’s ruling, INEC moves to the Court of Appeal to reverse a verdict that nullified its pre-election timelines.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially filed an appeal against the Federal High Court judgement which nullified its revised timetable and schedule of activities for the upcoming 2027 general elections.
In a swift response through its lead counsel, Dr. Alex Izinyon, SAN, the electoral umpire submitted a formal notice of appeal on Monday, May 25, 2026. Alongside the appeal, the commission moved a motion for a stay of execution of the lower court’s verdict, aiming to preserve its operational timeline pending the final determination of the matter by the Court of Appeal.
The legal face-off stems from a May 20 ruling delivered by Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In a lawsuit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2026 instituted by the Youth Party (YP), Justice Umar held that INEC’s tight pre-election schedule illegally restricted political parties.
The judge ruled that the commission overstepped its administrative boundaries by unilaterally shrinking the statutory windows required for political associations to run transparent primary elections, select candidates, and update their membership registries under the newly enacted Electoral Act, 2026.
Displeased with the trial court’s verdict, INEC outlined nine distinct grounds in its notice of appeal to challenge the ruling.
The regulatory body strongly argued that Justice Umar erred in law by failing to throw out the initial suit on jurisdictional grounds, noting that the Youth Party’s case was purely hypothetical, speculative, and academic – an omission that denied the commission a fair hearing.
Furthermore, Izinyon argued that the trial judge adopted a flawed, overly narrow interpretation of Sections 29(1), 82, and 84 of the Electoral Act, 2026, while completely ignoring Section 151, which protects the commission’s administrative powers to regulate electoral procedures.
Consequently, the commission is seeking two principal reliefs from the appellate court: an order setting aside the High Court judgement that nullified its timetable, and a definitive order striking out the Youth Party’s suit on the grounds that the respondent lacked the necessary locus standi to initiate the legal action.
Simultaneously, INEC’s motion on notice filed back at the Federal High Court aims to put a legal hold on the enforcement of the judgement, preventing political parties from independently extending their internal primary schedules until the superior court delivers its final verdict.
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