INEC Defends 2027 Election Timetable, Appeals Court Judgments Over Electoral Deadlines
As preparations for the 2027 General Election gather momentum, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has defended its election timetable, warning that conflicting court rulings on electoral deadlines could create uncertainty and disrupt the smooth conduct of elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Tuesday during the Commission’s Second Quarterly Consultative Meeting with leaders of political parties in Abuja, explaining why the electoral body appealed two recent Federal High Court judgments that questioned aspects of its 2027 election timetable.
According to him, the judgments raised critical legal questions about INEC’s constitutional powers to coordinate electoral activities.
He said the Commission appealed the rulings to obtain definitive interpretations from appellate courts, stressing that election-related activities such as party primaries, candidate nominations, voter register verification, ballot printing and deployment of technology must operate within a harmonised timetable.
Prof. Amupitan assured Nigerians that despite the pending appeals, INEC remains committed to conducting the 2027 General Election in full compliance with the Constitution and the Electoral Act.
The chairman also provided updates on preparations for the Ekiti State Governorship Election scheduled for June 20, revealing that 1,059,360 voters are registered for the poll after the addition of more than 66,000 new voters.
He said logistics, technology deployment and training of election officials were progressing as planned.
He further announced that political parties would receive access codes to the Candidate Nomination Portal on June 26, warning that the automated platform would close strictly at the end of the nomination period without extension.
Responding on behalf of political parties, Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) Chairman, Dr. Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, backed INEC’s decision to challenge the court judgments, describing the conflicting rulings as a source of confusion for political stakeholders.
Dantalle also called for amendments to the Electoral Act 2026, arguing that provisions governing party primaries had created avoidable challenges and contributed to disputes now before the courts.
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