The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approached the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal to overturn a Federal High Court judgement that invalidated sections of its election guidelines for the 2027 general elections.
Recall that last week, Justice Muhammed Umar of the Abuja Federal High Court struck down the commission’s directive requiring political parties to submit their membership registers and databases by May 10, 2026, as a prerequisite for participating in the 2027 elections.
The legal challenge against the electoral body’s directive was initiated by the Youth Party, which filed a lawsuit questioning its legality.
In its ruling, the high court held that INEC lacked the legal power to shorten the timeframe already laid out in Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 regarding the submission of candidate details and party membership records.
However, in an appeal notice dated May 25, 2026, filed by INEC through its counsel, Chief Alex Izinyon, SAN, the electoral umpire urged the appellate court to completely set aside the lower court’s ruling.
In addition to seeking the reversal of the judgement, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria also requested the court to grant a stay of execution on the ruling.
