The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) guidelines for the 2027 general elections, overturning a Federal High Court judgment that nullified them.

In a unanimous decision, the appellate court held that the Youth Party (YP), which challenged the guidelines, lacked the legal standing to institute the suit, having failed to show how the guidelines affected its primary elections or candidate nominations.

The court ruled that the Federal High Court erred in nullifying the guidelines and described the decision as a miscarriage of justice.

The ruling restores INEC’s election timetable, including timelines for party primaries and candidate nominations, which had earlier been invalidated by the lower court.