2027 Elections in Jeopardy? INEC Raises Alarm Over Court Rulings as Political Parties Demand Urgent Electoral Reform

Nigeria’s electoral body is warning of fresh uncertainty ahead of the 2027 general elections as conflicting court rulings begin to reshape the country’s election timetable and legal framework.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says recent Federal High Court judgments questioning key parts of its election schedule could derail preparations if appellate courts fail to provide urgent clarity. The warning was delivered on Tuesday during a consultative meeting with political party leaders in Abuja.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, confirmed that the commission has already filed appeals against two separate rulings that challenged portions of its 2027 election timetable. He stressed that while INEC respects judicial authority, the conflicting decisions now raise serious constitutional questions about its powers to set and manage election timelines.

One of the rulings came in a suit filed by the Youth Party, while another involved the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Both cases questioned INEC’s authority to compress certain timelines and nullified aspects relating to candidate nomination and substitution procedures.

Amupitan explained that while the Electoral Act 2026 defines some key electoral deadlines, many operational activities—such as party membership verification, monitoring of primaries, candidate uploads, and logistics planning—are not fully detailed in law but are essential for credible elections.

He warned that uncertainty around these processes could disrupt coordination, delay preparations, and weaken the commission’s ability to deliver transparent elections.

According to him, election management also depends heavily on logistics, procurement cycles, weather conditions, and the deployment of technology such as the BVAS system, all of which require strict scheduling and long-term planning.

INEC maintains that its timetable is designed to harmonize all electoral activities in a way that ensures fairness, efficiency, and compliance with the Constitution and the Electoral Act. Despite the legal disputes, Amupitan assured Nigerians that preparations for the 2027 elections remain on course.

Meanwhile, political parties under the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) are also raising concerns over recent electoral rules, especially provisions limiting party primaries to direct or consensus methods.

IPAC National Chairman, Dr. Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, said the restriction has created internal crises within parties, forcing aspirants into disputed consensus arrangements and triggering widespread legal challenges.

He argued that removing indirect primaries has reduced flexibility in party administration and increased tensions among political contenders, calling the situation an “unintended consequence” of the Electoral Act 2026.

Dantalle further warned that some parties have struggled with tight deadlines for submitting membership registers and verifying voter data, leaving out legitimate members due to administrative bottlenecks.

He urged the National Assembly to urgently review the Electoral Act to restore broader options for party primaries and strengthen internal democracy ahead of the 2027 polls.

As legal battles continue and political parties push for reforms, Nigeria’s election roadmap now sits at a critical crossroads—where court decisions, legislative action, and electoral administration must align to avoid disruption.