The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has appealed recent court judgments that questioned aspects of its timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections, insisting that its constitutional mandate includes the authority to prescribe timelines necessary for the orderly conduct of elections.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Tuesday during the Commission’s second quarterly consultative meeting with leaders of political parties in Abuja, where he defended the Commission’s powers to coordinate and regulate critical electoral processes.
Amupitan said the Commission was compelled to seek clarification from appellate courts following what he described as conflicting judicial decisions on INEC’s authority to set timelines for electoral activities ahead of the 2027 polls.
According to him, while one judgment affirmed the Commission’s authority to issue an electoral timetable, another nullified certain timelines relating to the nomination and submission of candidates contained in the timetable and schedule of activities released for the 2027 elections.
He stressed that INEC remained fully respectful of the judiciary and the rule of law but noted that the judgments raised fundamental legal questions about the extent of the Commission’s constitutional and statutory powers.
“In view of the differing conclusions reached in the judgments and in order to ensure certainty and stability in preparations for the 2027 general elections, the Commission has filed appeals and taken necessary legal steps to obtain authoritative pronouncements from the appellate courts,” he said.
The INEC chairman argued that election administration involves a chain of interconnected activities that cannot be executed effectively without clearly defined timelines.
He explained that while the Electoral Act provides deadlines for some processes, several other crucial activities—including verification of party membership registers, monitoring of party primaries, candidate nomination procedures, procurement and deployment of election materials, voter education campaigns, training of electoral personnel and configuration of election technology—require administrative timelines established by the Commission.
According to him, the absence of such timelines could disrupt planning, create uncertainty and undermine the Commission’s ability to conduct credible elections.
“Without a coordinated timetable, there will be chaos in the electoral system,” Amupitan warned.
He maintained that all electoral activities must be harmonised within a coherent framework that promotes transparency, certainty, administrative efficiency and equal treatment for all political parties.
The INEC chairman assured stakeholders that despite the pending appeals, the Commission would continue preparations for the 2027 general elections in strict compliance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act and all lawful court orders.
He also expressed concern over the growing number of litigations involving leadership disputes within political parties, describing them as unnecessary distractions capable of affecting electoral preparations.
“We are very concerned about several cases pending before the courts, most of which border on party leadership issues. We consider this an unnecessary distraction and hope these matters are resolved without further delay,” he said.
Amupitan urged political parties to focus on strengthening internal democracy, conducting transparent primaries and complying with electoral regulations as preparations for the next general election gather momentum.
The INEC chairman further disclosed that the Commission would issue access codes to political parties on June 26, 2026, to enable them upload details of nominated candidates through its electronic nomination portal.
He reminded party leaders that the portal is fully automated and would close immediately after the stipulated deadline.
Beyond the 2027 elections, Amupitan said the Commission was making final preparations for the June 20 Ekiti State governorship election and a number of bye-elections scheduled for the same day across several states.
He revealed that the Ekiti voters’ register contains 1,009,360 registered voters, including 66,664 newly registered voters captured during recent phases of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
The chairman called on political parties to intensify voter education and mobilise eligible Nigerians to register and collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), noting that broad citizen participation remains essential to the success of Nigeria’s democracy.
He reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to providing a level playing field for all political parties and candidates, stressing that the success of the 2027 general election would depend on collective adherence to democratic principles, the rule of law and peaceful political engagement.