Bugaje stated, “The judgment by Justice Umar is a declaratory judgment basically explaining to INEC that it is going beyond the powers that it has been given.” He added that Section 29 of the Electoral Act clearly demarcates INEC’s role in regulating elections and protects the autonomy of political parties during their preparatory stages. “So what the judgment has done is basically to set limits for INEC because INEC has been overreaching and overstepping the bounds that the electoral law has given it. They’ve been interfering in ways that we have not seen before.”
He further criticized INEC’s earlier actions as being designed to “muscle the opposition,” arguing that such moves go beyond regulatory duties and cross into stakeholder territory. “When you appeal for a declaratory judgment, you’re basically trying to step beyond the bounds of a regulator into a stakeholder,” Bugaje said. “What the judgment basically did was to say no, this 120 days that INEC gave will go up to September to allow the parties to do their work properly so that they can work within the law.”
This court ruling is expected to influence how INEC operates in the lead-up to future elections, reinforcing the need for adherence to legal frameworks and ensuring a level playing field for all political actors. The decision may also prompt further legal and political discussions on the balance of power between electoral bodies and political parties in Nigeria.
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