The African Democratic Congress has predicted that the recent Federal High Court judgment nullifying aspects of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s guidelines for the 2027 elections could lead to a wave of defections from the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The opposition party made this known on Thursday while reacting to the court’s decision striking out portions of INEC’s regulations concerning deadlines for party primaries and membership registration.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC described the judgment as confirmation of the concerns it had earlier raised about some provisions contained in the electoral commission’s guidelines.
The party explained that it had opposed what it considered restrictive timelines for the conduct of party primaries and registration of members when the guidelines were first introduced.
“The decision of the court on these issues, including those that directly contradict the Constitution, is therefore a welcome vindication of our position,” the statement read.
According to the ADC, the ruling would promote freedom of political association by removing limitations that could discourage politicians from joining alternative parties to contest elections.
“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,” Abdullahi stated.
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The party welcomed the judgment and expressed confidence that it would encourage broader democratic participation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Federal High Court had on Wednesday invalidated some key sections of INEC’s timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 elections, ruling that the commission acted beyond its legal powers by reducing timelines already stipulated in the Electoral Act, 2026.
INEC’s timetable had directed political parties to conclude their primaries within a shortened period ahead of the presidential, National Assembly, governorship, and state assembly elections scheduled for February and March 2027.
The commission also fixed deadlines for the submission of candidates’ details, replacement of candidates, publication of final candidate lists, and the end of campaigns earlier than the periods provided by law.
However, the court ruled that the deadlines contradicted the Electoral Act. It further held that political parties retain the right to withdraw and substitute candidates up to 90 days before an election and stated that INEC had no authority to impose an earlier deadline.