The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned political parties that any primary election conducted after its May 30, 2026 deadline remains invalid unless a higher court overturns an earlier Federal High Court judgement concerning the commission’s timetable. INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, disclosed this while advising political parties to continue complying with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 as the commission’s appeal remains pending before the Court of Appeal.
Haruna said: “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 clarification comes amid an ongoing legal battle over INEC’s timetable for party primaries and candidate nominations ahead of the 2027 general election.
Earlier, Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja nullified aspects of INEC’s electoral timetable and guidelines for the 2027 polls in a suit filed by the Youth Party. In the judgement marked FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2026, the court held that INEC lacked the authority to shorten timelines stipulated under Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 for the submission of party membership registers and candidates’ particulars.
The court further ruled that the commission could not reduce timelines expressly provided by law, stating that INEC had acted beyond its statutory powers under the Electoral Act.
In response, INEC filed an appeal and sought a stay of execution, maintaining that its timetable was issued in line with its constitutional and legal responsibilities.
Before the judgement, the commission 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 adhere to other deadlines contained in its election schedule.
In a related development, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja upheld INEC’s constitutional authority to issue and amend election timetables. Delivering judgement in Suit No.
FHC/ABJ/CS/720/2026 filed by the Social Democratic Party, the judge affirmed that the electoral body has the power to set election schedules but must do so within the limits prescribed by the Electoral Act 2026.
Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress appeals committee in Kaduna State has ordered rerun primary elections in several federal and state constituencies after reviewing petitions submitted by aggrieved aspirants.
Chairman of the committee, Dr Muhammed Fagge, said the panel examined petitions, documentary evidence and submissions before reaching its decisions, uncovering irregularities and alleged fraudulent practices in some contests.
As a result, several primaries were declared inconclusive, with reruns ordered in constituencies where the committee found significant irregularities, procedural violations, exclusion of aspirants from ballot papers and insufficient proof that voting took place.
In the Ikara/Kubau Federal Constituency, the committee directed a fresh primary after finding that Ibrahim Kubau, a screened aspirant, was omitted from the ballot. A rerun was also ordered in the Kaduna South Federal Constituency due to a lack of credible evidence that elections were conducted across all wards.
Fagge said rerun elections would take place in affected areas, 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 explained that the decisions were intended to protect the credibility and integrity of the party’s nomination process.
The committee also ruled on the Kaduna North Senatorial District primary, declaring that any consensus or affirmation process would be invalid unless it received the consent of all parties involved.
Fagge stressed that no aspirant should be disadvantaged by procedural shortcomings or electoral irregularities.
However, Haruna’s latest remarks indicate that, pending the outcome of INEC’s appeal, political parties risk having any primary election conducted after the May 30 deadline declared invalid.
