Federal High Court Nullifies Earlier INEC Timeline for parties to submit membership register Ahead of 2027 General Elections
A Federal High Court has nullified the earlier deadline fixed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for political parties to submit their membership registers ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The court ruling grants political parties up till September 2026 to complete and submit their membership registers to the electoral commission.
The development comes days after INEC announced that all 22 registered political parties had complied with the previous submission deadline fixed by the commission.
INEC had earlier extended the deadline from April 21 to May 10, 2026, following complaints and consultations with political parties over the timetable for the 2027 elections. The commission also stated that political parties were expected to conduct their primaries between April 23 and May 30, 2026.
The latest court judgment is expected to have significant implications for Nigeria’s political landscape, especially for politicians considering defections or political realignments ahead of the 2027 polls.
As of the time of filing this report, INEC is yet to officially react to the court decision.
