2027: INEC Appeals Court Rulings, Raises Concern Over Party Disputes

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has appealed recent court rulings affecting aspects of its timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 General Election and raised concern over the growing number of court cases arising from leadership disputes within political parties.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash O. Amupitan (SAN), made this known on Tuesday during the Commission’s Second Quarterly Consultative Meeting with leaders of political parties at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.

Amupitan said while the Commission remains respectful of judicial decisions, the differing judgments have raised important legal questions regarding INEC’s constitutional and statutory powers to coordinate electoral activities and maintain an orderly election calendar.

He also lamented the increasing number of internal party disputes currently before the courts, describing them as unnecessary distractions that should be resolved quickly in the interest of Nigeria’s democracy.

“I must not fail to express the concern of the Commission over several cases that are still pending in several courts, most of which still bother on leadership of the parties. We consider this an unnecessary distraction and wish all the issues are resolved without further delay,” he said.

Speaking on the legal challenge to the electoral timetable, Amupitan explained that INEC had reviewed two recent Federal High Court judgments with differing positions on the Commission’s authority to prescribe timelines for electoral activities.

According to him, one ruling questioned aspects of the Commission’s timetable for the 2027 General Election, while another affirmed INEC’s authority to issue electoral schedules but nullified certain timelines relating to nomination and substitution of candidates.

“In view of the differing conclusions reached in the judgments and in order to ensure certainty and stability in preparations for the 2027 General Election, the Commission has filed appeals against the decisions and has taken the necessary legal steps to obtain authoritative pronouncements from the Appellate Courts,” he said.

The INEC chairman maintained that electoral activities are interconnected operational processes requiring coordinated timelines to guarantee transparency, administrative efficiency and equal treatment of all political parties.

He explained that activities requiring structured scheduling include verification of membership registers, monitoring of party primaries, candidate nominations, printing and deployment of election materials, BVAS configuration, voter education and compliance with statutory requirements.

On preparations for the Ekiti State governorship election scheduled for June 20, 2026, Amupitan expressed confidence in the Commission’s readiness.

He disclosed that the voter register for the election stands at 1,059,360 registered voters, including 66,664 newly registered voters added through the Continuous Voter Registration exercise, while 2,103 cases of double registration had been invalidated.

According to him, logistics, election technology deployment, training of officials and stakeholder engagements are progressing as planned to ensure the simultaneous opening of all 2,445 polling units across the state’s 16 local government areas at 8:30 a.m. on election day.
He also commended political parties in Ekiti for signing a Peace Accord and urged them to ensure the commitment translates into peaceful and issue-based campaigns.
The Commission further announced that bye-elections would also hold on June 20 in Enugu North Senatorial District,

Nasarawa North Senatorial District, Rivers South East Senatorial District, Ondo South Senatorial District, Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency in Kano State and Zuru State Constituency in Kebbi State.

Looking ahead to the Osun State governorship election scheduled for August 15, 2026, Amupitan urged political parties to comply with electoral guidelines and timelines.

He further disclosed that INEC would issue official access codes to political parties on June 26 to enable designated national officers upload candidate details through the Candidate Nomination Portal ahead of future elections.

The INEC chairman reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to independence, impartiality and strict compliance with the Constitution and Electoral Act while calling on political parties to conduct transparent primaries, reject violence and vote buying, and promote issue-based campaigns.