INEC Defends Appeal of Court Rulings on 2027 Election Timetable, Warns Against Electoral Uncertainty
Oru Leonard
Abuja, June 9, 2026 — The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, has defended the Commission’s decision to challenge two Federal High Court judgments affecting the timetable for the 2027 General Election, saying the rulings could create uncertainty and disrupt the orderly conduct of elections across the country.
Speaking at the Second Quarterly Consultative Meeting with leaders of political parties in Abuja on Tuesday, Amupitan said the Commission appealed the judgments to obtain definitive interpretations from higher courts on its constitutional and statutory powers to coordinate electoral activities.
According to him, the first judgment, delivered in the case involving the Youth Party, questioned aspects of INEC’s election timetable, while a second ruling in a suit filed by the Social Democratic Party affirmed the Commission’s authority to issue election schedules but invalidated certain timelines relating to candidate nomination and substitution.
The INEC chairman noted that electoral activities are interconnected and cannot be treated in isolation, stressing that many critical processes required for elections are not assigned specific timelines by law but must still be accommodated within a comprehensive electoral calendar.
He listed activities such as the submission and verification of party membership registers, monitoring of party primaries, uploading of primary election results, printing of ballot papers and result sheets, configuration of BVAS machines, quality assurance procedures, and inspection of election materials by political parties as essential components that require careful scheduling.
Amupitan said the Commission’s objective was to maintain a coherent framework that guarantees certainty, transparency, administrative efficiency and equal treatment of all political parties.
Despite the ongoing legal challenge, he assured Nigerians that INEC remains committed to conducting the 2027 General Election in full compliance with the Constitution and the Electoral Act.
The chairman also provided updates on preparations for the June 20 governorship election in Ekiti State, revealing 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. He added that 2,103 cases of double registration had been removed from the register.
Amupitan said logistics, technology deployment and the training of election officials were progressing as planned, with all 2,445 polling units across the state’s 16 local government areas expected to open simultaneously at 8:30 a.m. on election day.
He further disclosed that INEC would conduct bye-elections on the same day in six constituencies, including 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.
On preparations for the 2027 polls, the INEC chairman announced that political parties would receive access codes on June 26 to enable them upload candidates’ details through the Commission’s Candidate Nomination Portal. He warned that the portal would close automatically at the expiration of the stipulated deadline without any extension.
Amupitan also urged eligible Nigerians to participate in the ongoing voter registration exercise and called on political parties to intensify voter education campaigns.
He expressed concern over lingering leadership disputes within some political parties, describing the litigation as a distraction capable of undermining preparations for future elections.
Responding on behalf of political parties, the National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, supported INEC’s decision to appeal the court rulings, arguing that the conflicting judgments had created confusion among political parties and election stakeholders.
Dantalle, however, urged the National Assembly to review portions of the Electoral Act 2026, particularly provisions governing party primaries. He argued that the removal of indirect primaries had created challenges for political parties and contributed to disputes that have ended up in court.
The IPAC chairman also condemned recent incidents of political violence in Osun State and called on politicians to embrace issue-based campaigns ahead of upcoming elections.
He warned that no political ambition should come at the cost of lives, property or community stability as the nation moves toward the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections and the 2027 general election cycle.
Cover Photo Caption, R-L: Honourable Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Joash O. Amupitan, SAN; National Commissioner, Professor May Agbamuche-Mbu and National Commissioner, Rear Admiral Jamila Malafa during the meeting with Chairmen and National Secretaries of the 22 Polical Parties in INEC Office yesterday.
