The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has said the party’s legal battle with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the 2027 election timetable is aimed at protecting Nigeria’s democracy, rather than securing an advantage for the SDP.
Adebayo spoke on Wednesday shortly after court proceedings in Abuja, where he accused INEC of allegedly exceeding its powers by shortening the statutory periods available to political parties to nominate and substitute candidates and conduct their primaries.
According to him, the SDP went to court because it wanted the electoral commission to operate strictly within the law.
“The reason we brought the case to court is not because we particularly, the SDP, are not able to cope with the timetable. It is to limit the abuse of the electoral process by INEC,” Adebayo said.
He maintained that INEC’s responsibility was to serve democracy and comply with the law, rather than impose additional restrictions on political parties.
“INEC’s job is to be a servant of democracy and to follow the law as stated, not to be influenced either by error or by government in power, to continue to impose additional inhibitions on political parties,” he said.
Adebayo alleged that INEC’s handling of candidate nominations and substitutions had resulted in numerous legal disputes.
“There are over 5,000 cases that are coming up as a result of INEC rejecting lawful nominations on the basis that those nominations were submitted outside their own unilaterally imposed timelines,” he claimed.
The SDP candidate argued that the statutory framework provides 120 days before an election for political parties to nominate candidates, 90 days for substitution and 60 days for INEC to publish the final list of candidates.
He said the commission should not unilaterally alter the periods prescribed by law, arguing that adherence to the statutory provisions would help strengthen fairness in the electoral process.
Adebayo stressed that the SDP’s legal action was not solely about the party, but about the broader democratic system.
“The role SDP is playing is not just to talk about things that affect the SDP alone, but to be a guardian of the democratic process,” he said.
He further argued that INEC’s compliance with the law would reduce the possibility of the electoral body being influenced by the government in power.
“So that INEC itself will be a lawful body and when INEC works within the law, the possibility of INEC being used by the government in power to manipulate the system will be reduced because all of us now will be equal before the law,” Adebayo said.
He disclosed that the SDP had two other matters before the Supreme Court relating to INEC’s election timetable, saying the party was seeking judicial clarification on the commission’s powers.
Also speaking after the proceedings, SDP National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe, backed the party’s legal action, saying it was aimed at defending the rule of law.
Gombe said the court proceedings had implications beyond the SDP, describing the outcome as a victory for democracy.
“What it means for the party is that it has upheld the rule of law; it has reinstated the rule of law in our democracy,” he said.
The SDP chairman said the party had consistently approached the courts to challenge issues it considered detrimental to democratic principles.
“This is a victory not only for the SDP, as said by the presidential candidate, but a victory for democracy,” Gombe said.
He expressed hope that the development would encourage political parties, INEC and other stakeholders to adhere strictly to the provisions of the law in the conduct of elections.
