The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has defended the Commission’s decision to challenge recent court judgments affecting its timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 General Election, warning that the rulings could create uncertainty and disrupt the orderly conduct of elections across the country.
Speaking on Tuesday during the Second Quarterly Consultative Meeting with leaders of political parties at INEC headquarters in Abuja, Amupitan said the Commission’s appeals were necessary to obtain authoritative legal clarification on its constitutional and statutory powers to coordinate electoral activities.
The INEC chairman explained that two separate judgments delivered by the Federal High Court in May 2026 raised significant questions regarding the Commission’s authority over electoral timelines.
According to him, “the first case, Youth Party v. INEC (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2026), delivered on May 20, questioned aspects of the Commission’s timetable for the 2027 elections.
“A second judgment, Social Democratic Party (SDP) v. INEC (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/720/2026), delivered on May 26, affirmed INEC’s authority to issue electoral timetables but nullified certain timelines relating to the nomination and substitution of candidates.”
Amupitan said the judgments touched on critical legal issues that could affect the Commission’s ability to effectively manage elections.
“These judgments raise important legal questions concerning the extent of the Commission’s constitutional and statutory powers in coordinating and regulating electoral activities,” he said.
The INEC chairman stressed that election management involves numerous interconnected activities that must be coordinated within a single framework.
He argued that allowing individual timelines to be altered without considering their impact on the broader electoral process could undermine preparations for the 2027 polls.
He noted that several key electoral activities are not assigned specific timelines under the Electoral Act but must nevertheless be accommodated within the Commission’s operational calendar.
These activities include the submission and verification of party membership registers, monitoring party primaries nationwide, uploading primary election results to INEC’s portal, printing ballot papers and result sheets, conducting quality assurance procedures, configuring Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, and facilitating political parties’ inspection of election materials as required by law.
According to him, the Commission’s timetable is designed to integrate all these activities into a workable sequence that guarantees transparency, efficiency and fairness.
“The Commission therefore considers it imperative that all electoral activities be harmonised within a coherent and workable framework that promotes certainty, transparency, administrative efficiency and equal treatment of all political parties,” he stated.
Despite the pending legal proceedings, Amupitan assured Nigerians that INEC remained fully committed to conducting the 2027 General Election in strict compliance with the Constitution and the Electoral Act.
The INEC chairman also provided an update on preparations for the forthcoming governorship election in Ekiti State, scheduled for June 20, 2026.
He disclosed that the state’s voter register now contains 1,059,360 registered voters following the addition of 66,664 new registrants through the Continuous Voter Registration exercise. The figure represents an increase from the 2023 register of 987,647 voters.
Amupitan added that 2,103 cases of double registration had been detected and invalidated to preserve the integrity of the voters’ register.
He said logistical arrangements, deployment of technology and training of election personnel were progressing as planned, assuring stakeholders that all 2,445 polling units across the state’s 16 local government areas would open simultaneously at 8:30 a.m. on election day.
INEC also announced that six legislative bye-elections would be conducted on the same day as the Ekiti governorship poll.
The affected constituencies include the Enugu North Senatorial District, Nasarawa North Senatorial District, Rivers South-East Senatorial District, Ondo South Senatorial District, Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency in Kano State, and Zuru State Constituency in Kebbi State.
The Commission said the same operational procedures, technological safeguards and security measures planned for the Ekiti election would be deployed for the bye-elections.
Looking ahead, Amupitan reminded political parties of the forthcoming governorship election in Osun State, scheduled for August 15, 2026.
He urged parties to comply strictly with the timelines and regulatory requirements outlined in the election timetable, warning that adherence to electoral guidelines remains essential for credible elections.
The INEC chairman announced that political parties would receive official access codes to the Commission’s Candidate Nomination Portal on June 26, 2026.
The portal will serve as the platform through which parties upload the names and particulars of their nominated candidates.
Amupitan cautioned that the system is fully automated and would close automatically at the expiration of the designated submission period, with no extensions granted.
He advised political parties to ensure that their information technology personnel and election officers are adequately prepared to avoid technical difficulties that could affect submissions.
The INEC chairman further appealed to political parties to intensify voter education campaigns and encourage citizens to participate in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
He urged Nigerians who have attained the age of 18, as well as those seeking corrections or transfers of their voter information, to register and subsequently collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
Amupitan also expressed concern over the growing number of court cases arising from leadership disputes within political parties.
He described such litigation as an unnecessary distraction and called on party leaders to resolve their internal disagreements amicably in the interest of strengthening Nigeria’s democratic process.
The National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Dr. Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, expressed support for INEC’s decision to appeal the court rulings.
He said the conflicting judgments had generated confusion among political parties, candidates and other stakeholders, creating uncertainty in the electoral process.
Dantalle, however, urged the National Assembly to undertake a comprehensive review of the Electoral Act 2026, arguing that recent party primaries had exposed several operational challenges.
The IPAC chairman specifically criticized Section 84(2) of the Electoral Act, which limits political parties to either consensus or direct primaries while eliminating the option of indirect primaries.
According to him, the provision complicated candidate selection processes and placed significant strain on parties during the nomination exercise that ended on May 30, 2026.
He argued that the restriction had forced some parties to adopt consensus arrangements even where multiple aspirants remained in contention, leading to allegations of pressure and manipulation.
“Electoral laws should promote democratic participation, strengthen political institutions, and advance the national interest rather than create avoidable obstacles to effective political competition,” Dantalle said.
He noted that many disputes arising from the primaries had already reached the courts and revealed that IPAC had raised concerns about the law as early as February 2026. The council, he added, had communicated its reservations to various national and international institutions, including the United Nations, the European Union and the Economic Community of West African States.
Dantalle also condemned recent incidents of political violence in Osun State and appealed to political actors to embrace issue-based campaigns as the country prepares for a series of elections.
He warned that violence and intimidation threaten democratic development and urged politicians to prioritize peace and national stability over personal ambition.
“No political ambition is worth the loss of human life, the destruction of property, or the destabilisation of communities,” he said.
