The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on has
set aside a Federal High Court judgment that nullified some of the timelines issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2027 general elections.

In a unanimous judgment, a three-member panel of the appellate court upheld the appeal filed by INEC and ruled that the commission acted within its statutory powers when it released the Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the elections.

The appellate court held that the Federal High Court failed to follow binding judicial precedents in its May 20 judgment.

It ruled that INEC’s revised timetable amounted to subsidiary legislation made pursuant to the Electoral Act, 2026, and therefore had the force of law.

According to the court, all the deadlines contained in the timetable fell within the provisions of the Electoral Act.

INEC had filed a nine-ground notice of appeal dated May 25, asking the appellate court to set aside the judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The commission argued that the lower court failed to determine a preliminary jurisdictional objection raised against the suit instituted by the Youth Party.

INEC maintained that the party’s action was hypothetical and academic and that the trial court’s failure to rule on the jurisdictional questions amounted to a denial of fair hearing.