BREAKING: Court of Appeal overturns judgment nullifying INEC’s 2027 electoral guidelines

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court that nullified parts of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) electoral guidelines for the conduct of the 2027 general elections.

In a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday, the appellate court held that the Youth Party, which instituted the suit challenging the guidelines, lacked the legal standing (locus standi) to file the case.

The lead judgment, prepared by Justice Adebukola Banjoko and read by Justice Okon Abang, held that the party failed to demonstrate how the guidelines affected it or its members in the conduct of its primary election or the submission of candidates for the 2027 polls.

The court ruled that the Youth Party did not establish any injury arising from the guidelines to justify instituting the suit.

The three-member panel further held that Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court erred when he nullified parts of the guidelines on May 20 on the grounds that they were inconsistent with provisions of the Electoral Act, describing the decision as one that occasioned a miscarriage of justice.

INEC had appealed the ruling, arguing through its counsel, Dr. Alex Izinyom, that the Federal High Court failed to determine its preliminary objection that the suit was hypothetical and academic, thereby denying the commission a fair hearing.

The Court of Appeal upheld INEC’s appeal, set aside the Federal High Court’s judgment and restored the validity of the commission’s electoral guidelines for the 2027 general elections.

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