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The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the validity of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s guidelines for the conduct of the 2027 general elections, setting aside an earlier judgment of the Federal High Court that nullified the electoral framework.
In a unanimous judgment delivered by a three-member panel, the appellate court ruled that the Federal High Court erred in law by invalidating the guidelines and restraining INEC from implementing them.
The lead judgment, prepared by Justice Adebukola Banjoko and read by Justice Okon Abang, held that the Youth Party (YP), which instituted the suit challenging the guidelines, lacked the requisite legal standing (locus standi) to file the action.
According to the court, the Youth Party failed to demonstrate that the disputed provisions of the guidelines adversely affected its legal rights or interests, rendering its claims incompetent.
The appellate court further held that the trial court’s decision amounted to a miscarriage of justice, noting that the lower court ought not to have entertained the suit.
INEC had appealed the Federal High Court’s May 20 judgment through its lead counsel, Dr. Alex Izinyon, SAN, arguing that the case was hypothetical and academic and that the commission was denied a fair hearing during the proceedings.
Agreeing with the commission’s submissions, the Court of Appeal allowed the appeal, set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court in its entirety, and affirmed the validity of INEC’s guidelines for the conduct of the 2027 general elections.
The judgment clears the way for the electoral umpire to implement the guidelines as part of preparations for the 2027 polls.
