THE African Democratic Congress has stated that the recent Federal High Court ruling nullifying aspects of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s guidelines for the 2027 elections could trigger widespread defections from the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The opposition party made the assertion while reacting to the court’s decision on INEC 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 concerns it had earlier raised over some provisions in the electoral guidelines.
According to the party, it had objected to what it termed restrictive timelines imposed by INEC for the conduct of party primaries and registration processes when the guidelines were initially 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 said.
The ADC argued that the ruling would promote freedom of political association by removing barriers that could prevent politicians from leaving one party for another ahead of elections.
Abdullahi further alleged that the earlier restrictions were aimed at discouraging members of the APC from defecting to opposition parties.
“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,” he stated.
The party welcomed the judgment, expressing confidence that it would encourage broader democratic participation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The court had earlier ruled against key sections of INEC’s timetable and schedule for the 2027 elections, holding that the commission exceeded its legal powers by shortening timelines already provided under the Electoral Act 2026.
INEC had directed political parties to conclude their primaries within a compressed period before the presidential, National Assembly, governorship and state assembly elections scheduled for February and March 2027.
The commission also fixed deadlines for submission of candidates’ details, replacement of candidates, publication of final candidate lists and the conclusion of campaigns before the statutory timelines outlined in the Electoral Act.
However, the court ruled that those deadlines were inconsistent with the law, stressing that political parties retain the right to withdraw and replace candidates up to 90 days before an election.
The court added that INEC lacked the authority to impose earlier deadlines outside the provisions of the Electoral Act.
