[UPDATED] Appeal Court Upholds INEC Guidelines for 2027 Elections, Sets Aside Federal High Court Judgment

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has upheld the guidelines issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conduct of the 2027 general elections, setting aside an earlier judgment of the Federal High Court that nullified parts of the guidelines.

In a unanimous judgment, the appellate court overturned the May 20 decision of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which had invalidated the guidelines and restrained INEC from implementing them.

The lead judgment, prepared by Justice Adebukola Banjoko and delivered by Justice Okon Abang, held that the Youth Party (YP), which instituted the suit against INEC, lacked the legal standing to challenge the electoral guidelines.

Justice Banjoko ruled that the party failed to demonstrate how the guidelines affected its rights or the conduct of its primary elections for the nomination of candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The court further held that YP did not establish any direct impact of the guidelines on the submission of its nominated candidates to INEC.

The three-member panel of the Court of Appeal unanimously agreed that the Federal High Court erred in law when it nullified the guidelines, noting that the decision resulted in a miscarriage of justice.

INEC had appealed the Federal High Court judgment, arguing that the lower court failed to properly consider key jurisdictional issues, including whether the suit was hypothetical and academic, and whether the electoral body was denied a fair hearing.

Through its lead counsel, Dr Alex Izinyon, SAN, INEC urged the Court of Appeal to set aside the judgment that invalidated portions of its timetable and guidelines for the 2027 elections.

The Federal High Court had earlier ruled that INEC’s timeline for political parties to conduct primaries, submit candidates’ names, and make replacements ahead of the 2027 elections was inconsistent with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.

The court had also nullified INEC’s May 10 deadline requiring political parties to submit their membership registers and databases as part of the requirements for participation in the general elections.

Following the ruling, INEC filed an appeal dated May 25, 2026, through its counsel, Izinyon (SAN), seeking to overturn the judgment and obtain a stay of execution pending the determination of the appeal.

The Court of Appeal has now validated INEC’s electoral guidelines, clearing the way for their implementation ahead of the 2027 general elections.