Nigeria's INEC says primaries held after May 30 deadline are void

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) warned that any party primary conducted after its May 30 deadline will be invalid unless the Court of Appeal overturns a Federal High Court judgment that struck down the timetable as breaching the Electoral Act 2026. The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Mohammed Umar, had nullified INEC’s deadline after a suit by the Youth Party, ruling that the commission cannot shorten the timelines for party membership records and candidate nominations. INEC has appealed the decision and continues to urge parties to follow the existing provisions while the legal dispute unfolds ahead of the 2027 general election.

The controversy extends to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries, which were held across 8,809 wards in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. President Bola Tinubu was announced as the APC candidate with 10,999,967 votes, a result presented at the Tinubu International Conference Centre. The process was criticised as a “consensus” exercise with no visible voting, and a minor challenger, Stanley Osifo, was allocated only 16,504 votes. Many APC legislators failed to secure tickets, prompting appeals and accusations of internal party manipulation.