The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has explained why the Commission filed appeals against two recent Federal High Court judgments that questioned aspects of its Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Election, stating that the absence of coordinated electoral timelines would create uncertainty and undermine the Commission’s constitutional mandate.
Prof. Amupitan disclosed on Tuesday, 9th June, 2026, while delivering his opening remarks at the Second Quarterly Consultative Meeting with Leaders of Political Parties held at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The INEC Chairman told party leaders that in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2026 — Youth Party v. INEC, delivered on 20 May 2026, the Federal High Court questioned certain timelines in the Commission’s timetable. In a subsequent judgment in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/720/2026 — Social Democratic Party (SDP) v. INEC, delivered on 26 May 2026, a separate court affirmed the Commission’s authority to issue an electoral timetable but nullified certain timelines relating to the nomination and substitution of candidates.
“These judgments raise important legal questions concerning the extent of the Commission’s constitutional and statutory powers in coordinating and regulating electoral activities,” Prof. Amupitan said.
He said the Commission had filed appeals against both decisions and taken the necessary legal steps to obtain authoritative pronouncements from the Appellate Courts, stressing that the activities contained in the timetable were not isolated events but interrelated operational processes essential to the orderly conduct of elections.
Prof. Amupitan listed critical electoral activities for which the Electoral Act prescribed no express statutory timelines but which must nonetheless be accommodated within the overall electoral calendar.
These include the submission and verification of party membership registers, the monitoring of party primaries across the Federation, the pre-upload of primary results on the Commission’s portal, the printing of ballot papers and result sheets, quality assurance procedures, the configuration of BVAS machines, and compliance with statutory obligations such as inviting political parties to inspect election materials pursuant to Section 42 of the Electoral Act 2026.
