The Court of Appeal in Abuja has set aside the Federal High Court judgment that nullified parts of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, guidelines for the 2027 general elections.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday, the three-member panel held that the Youth Party lacked the legal standing to challenge the electoral guidelines.
The lead judgment, prepared by Justice Adebukola Banjoko and read by Justice Okon Abang, held that the party failed to show how the guidelines affected its primary election or the submission of candidates for the 2027 polls.
“The Youth Party did not establish any injury arising from the guidelines to justify the institution of the suit,” the court held.
The appellate court also ruled that the Federal High Court erred in nullifying parts of the guidelines, describing the decision as one that occasioned a miscarriage of justice.
Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court had, on May 20, ruled that INEC lacked the constitutional and statutory powers to compel political parties to conduct primaries within timelines fixed by the commission.
He also voided provisions requiring parties to submit membership registers and candidates’ particulars ahead of timelines prescribed by the Electoral Act.
INEC appealed the judgment, arguing through its counsel, Dr. Alex Izinyom, that the trial court failed to determine its preliminary objection that the suit was hypothetical and academic, thereby denying the commission fair hearing.
The Court of Appeal upheld INEC’s appeal, vacated the lower court’s judgment and restored the validity of the commission’s electoral guidelines for the 2027 general elections.
