The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) guidelines for the conduct of the 2027 general elections.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday, the appellate court overturned the May 20 ruling of the Federal High Court, which had invalidated the electoral guidelines.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Adebukola Banjoko held that the Youth Party (YP), which filed the suit against INEC, lacked the legal standing (locus standi) to institute the action.
Justice Banjoko said that the party did not explain how the guidelines affected it and it’s members in the conduct of its primary election for the nomination of candidates for the 2027 poll.
The Court also held that the YP failed to establish how the Guidelines affected the submission of its nominated candidates to INEC.
The three Justices unanimously agreed that Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court, who on May 20 nullified the guidelines on the ground that it violated some provisions of the Electoral Act, did so in gross errors and led to miscarriage of justice.
INEC which filed an application against the high court decision had argued that the lower court erred in law when it failed to pronounce on the jurisdictional issue of the suit being hypothetic and academic, and a denial of fair hearing to the appellant.
INEC through its lead Counsel Dr Alex Izinyom had asked the Court of Appeal to set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court which nullified part of the election guidelines put in place by the agency for the conduct of the 2027 general election.
Details later…
