Appeal Court reinstates INEC's 2027 election guidelines, citing Youth Party's lack of standing
via Punch Nigeria1 min read
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has overturned a Federal High Court judgment that had nullified parts of the Independent National Electoral Commission's INEC electoral guidelines for the 2027 general elections. The appellate court ruled unanimously that the Youth Party, which initiated the lawsuit, lacked the legal standing to challenge the guidelines. Justice Adebukola Banjoko, whose lead judgment was read by Justice Okon Abang, stated that the Youth Party failed to demonstrate how the guidelines negatively impacted it or its members regarding primary elections or candidate submissions for the 2027 polls. The court concluded that the Youth Party did not establish any injury from the guidelines to justify the suit. The three-member panel also found that Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court erred in his May 20 ruling, which had deemed the guidelines inconsistent with certain provisions of the Electoral Act. Justice Umar's earlier judgment had stated that INEC lacked the power to compel political parties to conduct primaries within commission-fixed timelines and had nullified aspects requiring parties to submit membership registers and candidate particulars ahead of statutory timelines. INEC had appealed this decision, arguing through its counsel, Dr Alex Izinyom, that the Federal High Court did not address its preliminary objection that the suit was hypothetical. The Court of Appeal upheld INEC's appeal, vacating the Federal High Court's judgment and thereby rest
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