A mass exodus is looming in the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a result of the court verdict on the timelines issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conduct of party primaries and the nomination of candidates.
Justice Mohammed Umar of a Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, ruled that INEC’s action imposed restrictive timeframes on political parties for the conduct of primaries and other pre-election activities contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
Justice Umar held that INEC lacked the statutory power to fix or prescribe the timeframe within which political parties must conduct their primaries for the nomination of candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The plaintiff; Youth Party, had, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2026, sued INEC as sole defendant.
Reacting to the judgement, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC spokesman, said the ruling vindicates its vehement objections to key aspects of the electoral body’s guidelines at the time they were issued.
The ADC also recalled its specific objections to the timelines on membership registration, as well as the conduct of party primaries.
“The decision of the Court on these issues, including those that directly contradict the Constitution, is therefore a welcome vindication of our position,” the party said.
The party also said the ruling, which removes the impediment placed by the guidelines on politicians who wish to seek alternative platforms to contest elections, was a positive development that promotes freedom of association.
“We believed at the time that that particular restriction was designed to prevent people from leaving the ruling party, APC. Now that the court has ruled against it, we are sure that, in the coming days, we will witness a mass exodus from the ruling party.”
