The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has strongly applauded a landmark judgment delivered by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which nullified the strict timelines and deadlines previously set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2027 general elections.

The umbrella body of all registered political parties in Nigeria described the judicial verdict as a massive victory for internal party democracy, statutory compliance, and the rule of law.

The judgment, delivered by Justice Mohammed Garba Umar, arose from a legal challenge initiated by the Youth Party (YP) in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2026. The plaintiff had approached the court to contest the electoral body’s heavily compressed timetable, which mandated all political parties to submit their comprehensive membership registers by May 10, conduct their primaries, and complete all candidate withdrawals and substitutions before the end of May.

In his final verdict, Justice Umar ruled that the restrictive deadlines imposed by the electoral umpire were completely inconsistent and at variance with the statutory protections enshrined within the Electoral Act, 2026. The court declared that while INEC possesses the legal mandate under Sections 29, 82, and 84(1) of the Act to receive statutory notices, collect candidate particulars, and monitor internal primary exercises, those regulatory powers do not give the commission the authority to arbitrarily dictate or abridge the specific timeframes within which independent political parties must manage their internal nomination processes.

By setting aside the commission’s compressed schedule, the Federal High Court effectively restored the more flexible timelines provided under the substantive law. Consequently, the judicial decision has shifted the operational deadlines for the political parties, providing them until September 2026 to systematically compile, verify, and submit their official membership registers to the electoral body.

Legal and political analysts point out that this judicial adjustment provides substantial relief to various political parties across the country, many of which are currently navigating intense internal management disputes, leadership transitions, and localized crises that would have made compliance with the original May deadlines practically impossible.

Reacting to the certified true copy of the judgment, IPAC commended the judiciary for acting as a critical constitutional check against institutional overreach. The council noted that INEC’s initial timetable had placed unfair operational pressure on political parties by heavily squeezing the periods allocated for democratic consensus-building and primary organization.

The advisory group added that the ruling preserves the administrative autonomy of political parties, prevents the electoral umpire from overriding laws enacted by the National Assembly, and creates a more stable, realistic, and inclusive legal environment for all stakeholders as preparations for the 2027 general elections continue to unfold.