2027 Sh*ckwave: APC On The Brink As Massive Defections To ADC Gather Momentum

The party made the statement while reacting to a Federal High Court judgement that declared INEC had no legal authority to impose timelines on political parties regarding the conduct of primaries and candidate nominations.

Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that the timetable earlier released by INEC conflicted with provisions of the Electoral Act 2026. According to the court, the commission cannot legally dictate when political parties should hold primaries or carry out other pre-election activities ahead of the 2027 elections.

The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/517/2026, was filed by the Youth Party, with INEC listed as the sole defendant.

Responding to the judgement, ADC spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi said the ruling validated the party’s earlier concerns over aspects of INEC’s electoral guidelines. He noted that the ADC had previously challenged the commission’s timelines on membership registration and party primaries.

“The court’s decision on these issues, especially those that contradict constitutional provisions, clearly supports the position we maintained from the beginning,” the party said.

The ADC also argued that the judgement would encourage greater political participation by removing barriers that discouraged politicians from switching parties. According to the party, the ruling strengthens freedom of association and broadens the political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections.

“We believed the restriction was deliberately introduced to stop politicians from leaving the APC. Now that the court has struck it down, we expect to see significant defections from the ruling party in the coming days,” the statement added.