International News
Election Timetable: Why We Are Challenging Court Verdicts: INEC Boss
The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC on Tuesday confirmed that it has filed appeals against two Federal High Court judgments that questioned aspects of its Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Election, insisting that the activities contained in the timetable are interrelated operational processes that cannot be arbitrarily isolated or removed without throwing the entire electoral calendar into disarray.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan SAN, who disclosed this at the Commission’s Second Quarterly Consultative Meeting with leaders of political parties held in Abuja, said the Commission had carefully considered the two judgments and taken the necessary legal steps to obtain authoritative pronouncements from the appellate courts.
The first judgment, delivered on May 20, 2026, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2026 — Youth Party versus INEC — questioned certain timelines contained in the Commission’s timetable. The second, delivered on May 26, 2026, in Suit No.
FHC/ABJ/CS/720/2026 — Social Democratic Party (SDP) versus INEC — produced a mixed outcome: it affirmed the Commission’s authority to issue an electoral timetable but simultaneously nullified certain timelines relating to the nomination and substitution of candidates.
Prof. Amupitan noted that in the SDP judgment, the court itself acknowledged that “an election timetable, without date for submission of parties’ membership register, timeframe for primaries, etc. is inchoate. Without this timetable, there would be chaos in our electoral system.”
“While the Commission remains fully respectful of the decisions of the Courts and of the judicial process generally, these judgments raise important legal questions concerning the extent of the Commission’s constitutional and statutory powers in coordinating and regulating electoral activities,” the INEC Chairman said.
He argued that the activities in the timetable were not isolated events but interrelated operational processes designed to ensure the orderly, transparent, and successful conduct of elections, and that while the Electoral Act prescribed timelines for certain activities, several critical electoral processes existed for which no express statutory timelines were provided but which must necessarily be accommodated within the overall electoral calendar.
Prof. Amupitan listed such activities to include the submission and verification of party membership registers; monitoring of party primaries across the federation; pre-upload of primary results on the Commission’s designated portal; the nomination process; printing of ballot papers and result sheets; quality assurance procedures; deployment of election materials; training of election personnel; voter education and sensitisation; procurement of sensitive materials; configuration of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines; and compliance with statutory obligations such as inviting political parties to inspect samples of electoral materials pursuant to Section 42 of the Electoral Act, 2026.
“The Commission therefore considers it imperative that all electoral activities be harmonised within a coherent and workable framework that promotes certainty, transparency, administrative efficiency and equal treatment of all political parties,” he said.
Prof. Amupitan assured political parties and Nigerians that notwithstanding the pending appeals, the Commission remained firmly committed to conducting the 2027 General Election in strict compliance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act, and all lawful judicial pronouncements.
German authorities deported at least 137 Nigerian citizens across five chartered flights between February and June 2026, according to migration monitoring reports.
Data from the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org shows the deportations occurred in phases, with 27 Nigerians returned in February, 37 in March through a joint European Union operation, 24 in April, 23 in May, and 26 in June.
The February operation departed from Stuttgart and landed at Lagos Cargo Airport, with Baden-Württemberg listed as a primary participant. The March operation represented the largest single return of Nigerians recorded over three years and was executed in collaboration with Spain, Austria, and Belgium.
The reports indicate a growing reliance on multi-national chartered flights by European states to repatriate undocumented or non-resident individuals to Nigeria.
The United States has condemned the killing of members of the family of Plateau-based cleric, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, describing the attack as horrific and urging Nigerian authorities to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
In a statement shared on X on Thursday, the US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs expressed condolences to the victims’ families and called for stronger measures to prevent further attacks on vulnerable communities across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
“The United States strongly condemns the horrific killing of members of Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo’s family in Plateau State, Nigeria. The continued violence targeting Christian communities and other vulnerable populations in Nigeria’s Middle Belt is deeply alarming,” the bureau said
The US said it had already engaged Nigerian officials on the worsening security situation, stressing that urgent action was needed to curb recurring attacks and hold perpetrators accountable.
“As I discussed last week with Nigerian officials, we must do more to prevent violent acts. The perpetrators must be held accountable, and urgent action is needed to strengthen security and protect Christians and other vulnerable communities,” the statement added.
The bureau reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to working with the Nigerian government to combat terrorism and violent extremism, stressing that Christians and other Nigerians should be able to practise their faith without fear of violence.
The statement followed the July 12 attack on Kum community in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, where nine members of Rev. Dachomo’s extended family, including a two-month-old baby, were killed.
According to the cleric, the attackers, believed to be armed Fulani militias, asked for him by name before opening fire on his relatives.
Dachomo, who serves as Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, said his family had repeatedly been targeted because of his outspoken criticism of the violence in Plateau State.
He recalled that his grandmother and an uncle were also killed in previous attacks, adding that days after burying his relatives, he received a written death threat from the same group, warning that he would be their next target.
Saudi Arabia has updated its tourist eVisa programme for 2026, limiting eligibility in Africa to only three countries as part of its list of 66 nations whose citizens can apply through the Kingdom’s online visa platform.
The move leaves most African countries, including Nigeria, outside the simplified entry scheme.
The electronic visa allows eligible travellers to visit Saudi Arabia for tourism, leisure activities, family visits and Umrah, excluding the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Applications are completed online, eliminating the need for embassy visits and lengthy visa processing.
Saudi authorities said the eVisa forms part of ongoing efforts to expand tourism, attract international visitors and simplify travel procedures through a fully digital application system. The visa is available only to citizens of approved countries and territories listed on the Kingdom’s official tourism portal.
Below is the list of African countries eligible for Saudi Arabia’s eVisa.
1. Mauritius
2. Seychelles
3. South Africa
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