Falana Cautions That Inconsistent Court Judgments Could Affect 2027 Polls













Falana Cautions That Inconsistent Court Judgments Could Affect 2027 Polls

By Editor 

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has warned that conflicting court judgments involving the Independent National Electoral Commission could threaten preparations for the 2027 general elections if not urgently resolved.

In a statement titled “Nigerian Judges and Lawyers Should Be Prevented From Sabotaging the 2027 Election,” Falana said contradictory rulings from courts of coordinate jurisdiction risk creating confusion over electoral procedures and weakening public confidence in the judiciary and the democratic process.

The senior lawyer criticised recent decisions by two judges of the Federal High Court concerning INEC’s authority to set timelines for party primaries and require political parties to submit membership registers ahead of the 2027 elections.

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According to Falana, the conflicting judgments have placed INEC in a difficult position by leaving the commission uncertain about which ruling to obey.

The dispute followed a judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Umar, who nullified INEC’s timetable for party primaries, candidate nominations and the May 10 deadline for political parties to submit their membership registers.

Justice Umar, ruling in a suit filed by the Youth Party, held that parts of the timetable were inconsistent with the Electoral Act, 2026.

INEC has appealed the judgment at the Court of Appeal and filed a motion seeking a stay of execution pending the outcome of the appeal.

However, in a separate suit filed by the Social Democratic Party, Justice J. K. Omotosho upheld INEC’s constitutional and statutory powers to issue election timetables, including deadlines for party primaries and other electoral activities.

Reacting to the development, Falana said the two rulings had created avoidable uncertainty at a sensitive period in the country’s electoral calendar.

“The judgments of both courts of coordinate jurisdiction have caused unnecessary confusion in the polity,” he said.

Falana argued that Justice Omotosho should have allowed the Court of Appeal to determine the validity of Justice Umar’s earlier judgment instead of issuing a ruling that contradicted an existing decision on the same matter.

He called on the National Judicial Council and the Nigerian Bar Association to investigate the circumstances surrounding the conflicting judgments involving the Youth Party, the SDP and INEC.

Falana stressed that judges and lawyers must avoid actions capable of weakening the credibility of future elections, warning that litigation should not become a tool for disrupting democratic processes.

Drawing parallels with Nigeria’s political history, he warned that failure to address the situation could revive memories of 1993 Nigerian presidential election annulment, when conflicting court orders contributed to the legal crisis surrounding the annulment of the June 12 presidential election.

“Unless the judges and lawyers involved are called to order, the 2027 election may be sabotaged by judges and lawyers,” Falana warned.

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