The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained its decision to appeal two recent Federal High Court judgments that questioned aspects of its Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Election, arguing that the absence of coordinated electoral timelines would create uncertainty and undermine its constitutional mandate.
INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, while delivering opening remarks at the Second Quarterly Consultative Meeting with Leaders of Political Parties in Abuja. He outlined that in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2026 (Youth Party v. INEC), delivered on May 20, 2026, the court questioned certain timelines in the commission’s timetable. In a subsequent judgment in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/720/2026 (SDP v. INEC), delivered on May 26, 2026, another court affirmed INEC’s authority to issue an electoral timetable but nullified specific timelines relating to candidate nomination and substitution.
“These judgments raise important legal questions concerning the extent of the Commission’s constitutional and statutory powers in coordinating and regulating electoral activities,” Prof. Amupitan said. He confirmed that INEC has filed appeals against both decisions and taken necessary legal steps to obtain authoritative pronouncements from appellate courts, emphasizing that the activities in the timetable are not isolated events but interrelated operational processes essential to orderly elections.
The Chairman listed critical electoral activities for which the Electoral Act prescribes no express statutory timelines but which must still fit within the overall electoral calendar. These include submission and verification of party membership registers, monitoring of party primaries across the federation, pre-upload of primary results on INEC’s portal, printing of ballot papers and result sheets, quality assurance procedures, BVAS configuration, and compliance with statutory obligations such as inviting parties to inspect election materials under Section 42 of the Electoral Act 2026.
“The Commission therefore considers it imperative that all electoral activities be harmonised within a coherent and workable framework that promotes certainty, transparency, administrative efficiency and equal treatment of all political parties,” he said. He assured the public that, despite pending appeals, INEC remains committed to conducting the 2027 General Election in strict compliance with the Constitution and the Electoral Act.
Turning to the Ekiti State Governship Election scheduled for Saturday, June 20, 2026, Prof. Amupitan said the Register of Voters contains 1,059,360 registered voters, reflecting the addition of 66,664 new registrants from the Continuous Voter Registration exercise to the 2023 base register of 987,647. He noted that 2,103 double registrations were invalidated to protect the integrity of the register.
Logistics arrangements, technology deployment, and training of election officials are proceeding according to schedule, with INEC committed to the simultaneous opening of all 2,445 polling units across Ekiti’s 16 local government areas at 8:30 a.m. on Election Day.
On the same day, INEC will conduct bye-elections in six constituencies: Enugu North Senatorial District, Nasarawa North Senatorial District, Rivers South-East Senatorial District, Ondo South Senatorial District, Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency in Kano State, and Zuru State Constituency in Kebbi State. The same operational standards, technological safeguards, and security arrangements deployed for the Ekiti election will apply to all six bye-elections.
The Chairman also drew attention to the Osun State Governorship Election scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2026, urging all political parties to strictly comply with the prescribed timelines and regulatory requirements under that election’s timetable.
On candidate nomination for the 2027 General Election, Prof. Amupitan announced that INEC will issue official access codes to all political parties for the Candidate Nomination Portal on Friday, June 26, 2026. Through this portal, parties will upload the names and particulars of nominated candidates. He warned that the fully automated portal will close without extension at the expiration of the prescribed period, urging parties to ensure their ICT personnel and relevant officers are adequately prepared ahead of the deadline.
He also called on political parties to intensify voter education and mobilisation efforts in support of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise, urging eligible Nigerians aged 18 and above, as well as those seeking transfers or corrections of records, to register and subsequently collect their Permanent Voter Cards.
Prof. Amupitan expressed concern over pending court cases involving the internal leadership of several political parties, describing such litigation as an unnecessary distraction and urging parties to resolve disputes without further delay.
Responding on behalf of the political parties, National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Dr. Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, backed INEC’s decision to appeal the judgments, describing the conflicting pronouncements as a source of confusion for parties, candidates, and other stakeholders that had introduced avoidable uncertainty into the democratic process.
Dr. Dantalle used the occasion to raise broader concerns, calling on the National Assembly to undertake a comprehensive review of the Electoral Act 2026 to address operational deficiencies exposed during recently concluded party primaries. He specifically identified Section 84(2) of the Act, which restricts parties to either consensus or direct primaries while eliminating the indirect primary option, as a source of considerable strain on the nomination exercise that closed on May 30, 2026.
“Electoral laws should promote democratic participation, strengthen political institutions, and advance the national interest rather than create avoidable obstacles to effective political competition,” Dr. Dantalle said. He noted that the restriction had in many instances compelled parties to adopt the consensus option despite the existence of multiple aspirants, with some candidates reportedly pressured to withdraw after preferred choices had already been identified by influential party stakeholders. He added that several such disputes had since found their way to court and that IPAC had raised these concerns as far back as its General Assembly meeting on February 26, 2026, communicating them to national institutions and the international community, including the United Nations, the European Union, and ECOWAS.
Dr. Dantalle also condemned recent incidents of political violence in Osun State, calling on all political actors to embrace issue-based campaigns and exercise restraint as the country approaches the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections and the 2027 General Election cycle.
“No political ambition is worth the loss of human life, the destruction of property, or the destabilisation of communities,” he said.