The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the Independent National Electoral Commission’s directive requiring political parties to submit membership registers by May 10, 2026.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, Justice M.G. Umar ruled that INEC could not lawfully shorten the timeline set out in the Electoral Act 2026 for parties to submit candidate and membership records.
The case was brought by the Youth Party, which challenged INEC’s deadline and asked the court to enforce the 120-day pre-election deadline provided in the Act.
Justice Umar held that Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires parties to submit candidate particulars no later than 120 days before an election. He said INEC lacked the power to impose an earlier deadline.
“A Declaration is made that 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 time frame in its 2027 elections,” the court ruled.
The ruling invalidates INEC’s May 10 deadline and gives all registered parties until September 2026 to submit updated membership registers.
The decision could affect political alignments ahead of the 2027 elections, as it allows politicians who lose primaries more time to defect and contest under other parties before the final submission date.
INEC had earlier scheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027, and the governorship and state assembly polls for February 6, 2027. The commission had said all 22 registered parties complied with the May 10 deadline after it was extended from April 21.
