Speaking during an interview, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said political parties must continue to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 while the commission’s appeal remains pending before the Court of Appeal.
Haruna explained that the commission’s position remains unchanged despite the legal challenge surrounding its timetable for party primaries and candidate nominations ahead of the 2027 general election.
“Obviously, for now, any primary held outside INEC’s May 30 deadline will be invalid unless the Court of Appeal overturns the Federal High Court judgment in INEC’s appeal against the ruling that the timetable breached the Electoral Act 2026 in some of its provisions.
“In other words, for now, the political parties are better advised to be guided by the existing Act.”
The warning comes amid an ongoing legal battle over INEC’s electoral timetable. Earlier, Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja invalidated portions of the commission’s guidelines and schedule for the 2027 elections.
The judgment followed a suit filed by the Youth Party, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2026, in which the court ruled that INEC lacked the authority to shorten timelines stipulated under Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 for the submission of membership registers and candidates’ particulars.
Justice Umar held that the commission exceeded its statutory powers by attempting to alter timelines already provided for in the Electoral Act.
Following the ruling, INEC lodged an appeal and sought a stay of execution, maintaining that its timetable was issued in accordance with its constitutional and legal responsibilities in managing the electoral process.
Before the court’s decision, the electoral body had fixed April 23 to May 30, 2026, as the period within which political parties were expected to conduct their primaries for the 2027 elections. Parties were also directed to adhere strictly to other timelines contained in the election schedule.
In a related development, another Federal High Court judge, Justice James Omotosho, upheld INEC’s authority to issue and revise election timetables.
Delivering judgment in a suit filed by the Social Democratic Party, identified as FHC/ABJ/CS/720/2026, Justice Omotosho ruled that INEC possesses constitutional powers to prepare election schedules and timetables.
However, he emphasised that such powers must be exercised within the limits set by the Electoral Act 2026.
Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Appeals Committee in Kaduna State has ordered rerun primary elections in several constituencies after reviewing complaints arising from the party’s recently concluded primaries.
Chairman of the committee, Dr Muhammed Fagge, said extensive reviews of petitions, documents and submissions from aggrieved aspirants revealed cases of irregularities and alleged fraudulent practices in some of the contests.
As a result, the committee declared a number of primaries inconclusive and directed fresh elections in constituencies where significant irregularities, procedural violations, omission of aspirants from ballot papers or insufficient evidence of voting were established.
Among the affected areas is the Ikara/Kubau Federal Constituency, where the committee ordered a rerun after finding that Ibrahim Kubau, a cleared aspirant, was excluded from the ballot.
A fresh exercise was also approved for the Kaduna South Federal Constituency after investigators reportedly found inadequate evidence that voting took place across all wards.
Fagge disclosed that reruns would take place in affected wards and constituencies across Kaura, Soba, Ikara, Kajuru, Badarawa/Malali, Magajin Gari II, Birnin Gwari, Tudun Wada West, Igabi, Kagarko, Kawo, Zaria, Chikun/Kajuru and Kudan/Makarfi, among others.
According to him, the decision was taken to protect the integrity and credibility of the party’s nomination process.