ADC Predicts Mass APC Defections After Court Nullifies INEC Timelines

ADC Predicts Mass APC Defections After Court Nullifies INEC Timelines
Party said ruling could trigger massive defections from the APC.
Court ruled INEC cannot impose timelines for party primaries.

The African Democratic Congress has said the recent court judgement nullifying parts of the Independent National Electoral Commission timetable for political parties could trigger fresh defections from the ruling All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the party stated this while reacting to a Federal High Court judgement which held that INEC lacked the statutory powers to impose timelines on political parties for the conduct of primaries and nomination of candidates.

Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that the timelines earlier issued by INEC were inconsistent with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.

The judge held that the electoral commission could not lawfully determine the period within which political parties must conduct primaries and other pre-election activities ahead of the 2027 polls.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2026, was filed by the Youth Party against INEC.

Reacting to the judgement, the spokesman of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the ruling had validated the party’s earlier objections to aspects of the electoral guidelines issued by the commission.

Abdullahi said the ADC had previously challenged INEC’s timelines relating to membership registration and 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 stated.

The ADC also argued that the judgement removed restrictions that previously discouraged politicians from defecting to alternative political platforms.

According to the party, the ruling would strengthen freedom of association and widen the political space ahead of the 2027 general elections.

ADC Predicts Mass APC Defections After Court Nullifies INEC Timelines

“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,” the statement added.