A mass exodus is looming in the All Progressives Congress (APC) following the Federal High Court judgment that struck down key timelines imposed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conduct of party primaries and the nomination of candidates for the 2027 general elections, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has declared.
The ADC, in a reaction to the judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, said the ruling vindicates its vehement objections to key aspects of INEC’s guidelines at the time they were issued, and predicted that politicians who felt trapped in the APC by the now-nullified restrictive timelines would begin seeking alternative platforms to contest the 2027 elections.
Justice Umar, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2026 filed by the Youth Party as plaintiff against INEC as sole defendant, held that INEC lacked the statutory power to fix or prescribe the timeframe within which political parties must conduct their primaries for the nomination of candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The court found that INEC’s action imposed restrictive timeframes on political parties for the conduct of primaries and other pre-election activities contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026. The judge granted all the reliefs sought by the Youth Party, declaring that INEC’s powers to receive notice of party primaries and observe them did not extend to dictating when parties must hold their primaries.
The court also declared that INEC could not lawfully abridge the 120-day statutory window for submission of candidates’ personal particulars, the 90-day window for candidate withdrawal and substitution, or the 60-day minimum period before which the final candidate list must be published. The court further held that INEC could not prescribe that campaigns must end two days before the elections contrary to the Electoral Act.
The judgment effectively set aside or nullified time-frames in INEC’s Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Elections that were found to be inconsistent with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
Reacting to the judgment, ADC spokesman Bolaji Abdullahi said the ruling vindicates the party’s long-standing objections to INEC’s guidelines, particularly on two critical issues: the timelines imposed on membership registration and the conduct of party primaries.
The ADC recalled that when INEC initially issued its timetable and guidelines for the 2027 elections, the party raised specific objections, arguing that several provisions were inconsistent with the Constitution and the Electoral Act. Those objections, Abdullahi said, were confirmed by the court’s findings.
“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.
In its most politically charged reaction, the ADC alleged that the INEC timelines that have now been struck down were deliberately designed to prevent politicians from leaving the ruling APC by creating artificial deadlines that made it practically impossible for aspirants to seek nomination on alternative platforms after the APC’s own primaries had been conducted.
The party argued that by compressing the timelines for primaries, candidate submission, and substitution, INEC effectively created a system where politicians who lost APC primaries or were dissatisfied with the process had no meaningful window to defect to another party and seek nomination trapping them within the ruling party regardless of their grievances.
“We believed at the time that that particular restriction was designed to prevent people from leaving the ruling party, APC,” Abdullahi stated.
With the court having struck down the restrictive timelines, the ADC predicted that the floodgates of defection from the APC would now open.
“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 ADC declared.
The prediction carries particular weight given the volume of aggrieved aspirants, rejected candidates, and disqualified politicians that the APC’s primary season has produced. The senatorial, House of Representatives, and governorship primaries conducted over the past week have generated widespread complaints of imposition, violence, manipulation, and disqualification across multiple states — leaving a significant pool of disappointed aspirants who may now have a viable pathway to seek nomination on other platforms.
The ADC’s reaction is not merely an expression of solidarity with the court’s reasoning but a strategic political positioning. As one of Nigeria’s registered opposition parties, the ADC stands to benefit directly from any wave of defections from the APC, potentially receiving aggrieved politicians who bring with them political structures, financial resources, and grassroots support networks built during their time in the ruling party.
The party’s reference to “freedom of association” frames the judgment as restoring a fundamental constitutional right that was allegedly curtailed by INEC’s restrictive timetable the right of politicians to freely associate with the party of their choice and to seek nomination on whatever platform they wish, within the statutory deadlines provided by law.
The ADC has itself been at the centre of political controversy in recent months, with its own internal leadership disputes and questions about party recognition by INEC. However, the party appears to be positioning itself as a credible alternative destination for disaffected APC members, particularly in states where the ruling party’s primaries have produced contested or disputed outcomes.
The ADC’s prediction of a mass exodus, if it materialises, would compound the APC’s already significant internal challenges. The party is currently dealing with the fallout from disputed senate primaries in multiple states, a collision course between the Presidential Villa and state governors over primary outcomes, the NWC’s “quiet audit” of results, protests by aggrieved aspirants in Kaduna, Kogi, and Ondo, and the withdrawal of Governor Fubara from the Rivers governorship primary.
The court judgment now adds a new dimension to these challenges by removing the time pressure that previously prevented disaffected APC members from exploring alternative platforms. With the 120-day, 90-day, and 60-day statutory windows now restored to their full lengths and with the court declaring that INEC cannot compress them aggrieved aspirants who lost APC primaries or were disqualified during screening now have more time to defect and seek nomination elsewhere.
The key question is whether the aggrieved aspirants will follow through on their threats of leaving the APC, or whether the party’s internal appeal mechanisms, reconciliation committees, and the NWC’s review process will be sufficient to retain them within the fold.
INEC has not publicly responded to the judgment or indicated whether it will appeal the decision. If the commission chooses not to appeal, it will be required to revise its timetable to comply with the court’s orders, effectively extending the windows available to political parties for primaries, candidate submission, substitution, and campaigning.
If INEC appeals, the judgment remains binding unless stayed by a higher court meaning that the expanded timelines declared by the court would remain in effect during the pendency of the appeal unless the Court of Appeal grants a stay of execution.
Either way, the practical effect of the judgment is that political parties and their aspirants now have significantly more flexibility in the timing of their internal processes than INEC’s original timetable contemplated a development that could reshape the candidate selection landscape for the 2027 elections and potentially benefit opposition parties seeking to recruit disaffected members of the ruling APC.
The judgment was delivered on May 20, 2026, by Hon. Justice M.G. Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja. The certified true copy was issued on May 21, 2026.
The post “Mass Exodus Looming In APC” — ADC Predicts Wave Of Defections After Court Nullifies INEC’s Primary Election Timelines appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.
