A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has nullified the deadline earlier fixed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for political parties to submit their membership registers ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a landmark judgement delivered on Thursday, Justice M.G. Umar of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court ruled that INEC lacked the legal authority to impose the May 10 deadline contained in its electoral guidelines.
The suit was instituted by the Youth Party, which challenged the legality of the commission’s directive requiring political parties to submit their membership databases as a condition for participating in the 2027 elections.
Justice Umar held that Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 clearly provides that political parties are only mandated to submit the personal particulars of their candidates not later than 120 days before an election, adding that INEC cannot abridge the statutory timeline through administrative guidelines.
According to the court:
“Having regards to Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026 which requires political parties to submit the personal particulars of their candidates not later than 120 days to an election, the Defendant cannot lawfully abridge or limit that statutory period by prescribing a shorter timeframe in its 2027 elections.”
The judgement consequently invalidated the May 10 deadline earlier announced by Independent National Electoral Commission and granted political parties up till September 2026 to submit updated membership registers and related records.
The development is expected to reshape political calculations ahead of the 2027 polls, particularly for politicians considering defections or fresh alignments after party primaries.
INEC had earlier scheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State House of Assembly elections are expected to hold on February 6, 2027.
