BY EDMOND ODOK – Following the high-stakes court ruling that strips the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of its strict primary and nomination deadlines for political parties, a massive wave of defections is brewing in the All Progressives Congress (APC) with disillusioned politicians and aggrieved aspirants seriously plotting their exit from the ruling party
Already, political commentators are making permutations and placing their bets on the historic court verdict to drive mass exodus of disillusioned aspirants and APC members to exit the ruling party in droves and seek solace in other available platforms to pursue their political ambitions.
Expectedly, the boldest prediction of an impending internal collapse and mass defection within the APC is voiced by the National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi while reacting to the Federal High Court’s ruling shooting down the restrictive deadlines for political parties’ primary elections stipulated in INEC’s guidelines.
Abdullahi said by striking down the forced schedules, the judiciary has effectively opened the door for fierce internal rebellions, mass realignments, and last-minute candidate substitutions ahead of upcoming elections’ cycles.
According to the ADC spokesman, the court’s intervention has vindicated its vehement objections to key aspects of the Commission’s guidelines at the time they were issued.
While also recalling its specific objections to the timelines on membership registration, as well as the conduct of party primaries, the coalition party said: “The decision of the Court on these issues, including those that directly contradict the Constitution, is therefore a welcome vindication of our position.”
This is as the ADC also said the ruling, which removes the impediment placed by the guidelines on politicians who wish to seek alternative platforms to contest elections, was a positive development that promotes freedom of association.
Abdullahi further said: “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.”
For him, the Court ruling has not only condemned INEC’s strict, restrictive timetable to the fustbin of history, but also offered political parties the breathing space to recalibrate, reopen negotiations, contest flawed primaries, and shop for alternative platforms with far less pressure to seek elective offices.
Forefront News notes that in his ruling on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, Justice Mohammed Umar of a Federal High Court in Abuja declared that INEC’s imposed restrictive time-frames on political parties for the conduct of primaries and other pre-election activities were contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The presiding Judge further held that the Electoral umpire 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 suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2026, which sued INEC as the sole defendant, was brought before the Court by the plaintiff; Youth Party
