INEC timetable judgment will trigger massive defections from APC, says ADC

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said the recent Federal High Court judgment nullifying parts of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) guidelines for the 2027 elections could trigger a mass exodus from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The warning followed the decision of Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which invalidated timelines imposed by INEC for party primaries, nomination of candidates and other pre-election activities.

The court held that INEC lacked the statutory powers to prescribe restrictive timelines for political parties outside the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2026, was filed by the Youth Party, with INEC listed as the sole defendant.

Reacting to the judgment, the spokesman of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the ruling vindicated the party’s earlier objections to several provisions contained in INEC’s guidelines.

According to him, the ADC had specifically challenged the timelines relating to party membership registration and the conduct of party primaries.

“The decision of the Court on these issues, including those that directly contradict the Constitution, is therefore a welcome vindication of our position,” the party stated.

The ADC further argued that the judgment removes restrictions that previously prevented politicians from freely changing political parties ahead of the elections.

According to the party, the now-nullified guidelines were allegedly designed to discourage defections from the APC by limiting the timeframe within which politicians could switch platforms and still participate in the elections.

“We believed at the time that that particular restriction was designed to prevent people from leaving the ruling party, APC.”

“Now that the court has ruled against it, we are sure that, in the coming days, we will witness a mass exodus from the ruling party,” Abdullahi said.

The judgment is expected to reshape political calculations ahead of the 2027 elections, especially among aspirants who lost party primaries and may now seek tickets on alternative political platforms.

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