The Court of Appeal on Thursday restored the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) 2027 election guidelines, setting aside a Federal High Court judgment that had nullified parts of the framework and restrained the electoral body from implementing them.
The unanimous judgment reinforces INEC’s constitutional powers to regulate the conduct of elections and removes a legal hurdle that had cast uncertainty over preparations for the 2027 general election.
A three-member panel of the appellate court held that the lower court erred in invalidating INEC’s administrative discretion and ruled that the Youth Party (YP), which instituted the suit, lacked the legal standing to challenge the guidelines.
Delivering the lead judgment prepared by Justice Adebukola Banjoko, Justice Okon Abang said the Electoral Act and the Constitution empower INEC to issue guidelines for the conduct of elections, adding that the courts should not interfere where the commission acts within the scope of its statutory
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