ABUJA, Nigeria — The head of Nigeria’s electoral body has warned that recent conflicting court judgements blocking its ability to set strict deadlines for political parties could disrupt preparations and trigger “chaos” ahead of the 2027 general election.
Addressing political leaders in the capital, Abuja, on Tuesday, Professor Joash Amupitan, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), confirmed the commission has launched legal appeals to protect its regulatory powers.
The dispute stems from two separate Federal High Court rulings issued in May 2026. While one court nullified specific deadlines set by INEC for candidate nominations, another court warned that stripping the commission of its timeline powers would leave the electoral system “inchoate” and chaotic.
Professor Amupitan argued that election deadlines cannot be treated as isolated events. He stated that fixed timelines are vital operational safeguards required for complex logistics, including checking party registers, configuring biometric voting machinery, and printing ballot papers.
“The absence of coordinated timelines would create uncertainty, disrupt election planning, and undermine the Commission’s constitutional responsibility,” the electoral chief said, though he pledged that INEC would comply with all final judicial outcomes.
The political parties, represented by Yusuf Dantalle, National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), shared concerns over the judicial confusion but pointed the blame at Nigeria’s contentious new Electoral Act 2026.
Mr. Dantalle revealed that recent internal party primaries, which concluded on May 30, had faced severe strain due to restrictive legal provisions that banned indirect primary elections, forcing parties to use direct voting or consensus. He noted this had triggered a wave of internal disputes, funding crises for smaller parties, and subsequent lawsuits that now threaten political stability.
The legal standoff comes at a high-pressure moment for West Africa’s largest democracy. In addition to planning for 2027, INEC is just eleven days away from a pivotal governorship election in Ekiti State on June 20, alongside several federal and state bye-elections, followed by another regional election in Osun State in August.
The electoral commission confirmed that more than 1.05 million voters are registered for the Ekiti poll after purging over 2,000 double registrations to protect the integrity of the vote.
Add Comment