A looming wave of defections may soon hit Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, following a major court ruling that many politicians see as removing barriers that previously kept them tied to the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
The development stems from a judgement delivered by Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja, who ruled that the Independent National Electoral Commission exceeded its powers by imposing strict timelines for political parties to conduct primaries and nominate candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The case, filed by the Youth Party, challenged INEC’s election timetable, arguing that the Electoral Act 2026 does not give the commission authority to dictate when parties must hold primaries or complete internal electoral processes.
According to the court, INEC’s guidelines placed unnecessary restrictions on political parties and contradicted provisions of the Electoral Act.
Justice Umar specifically held that political parties should retain the freedom to determine their own schedules for primaries and candidate nominations.
The ruling has generated strong reactions from opposition parties, particularly the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which described the judgement as a victory for democracy and freedom of association.
ADC spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party had earlier warned that some of INEC’s guidelines, especially those concerning membership registration and timelines for primaries, appeared designed to discourage politicians from leaving the APC for alternative platforms.
With the court now striking down those restrictions, opposition parties believe many dissatisfied APC members may finally feel free to defect without fear of missing nomination deadlines or being disqualified from contesting elections.
Political observers say several factors could trigger a mass exodus from the APC in the coming months:
Growing internal crises and factional disputes within the ruling party.
Anxiety among politicians over ticket allocations ahead of the 2027 elections.
Complaints about lack of internal democracy during candidate selection.
Increasing confidence among opposition parties after the court ruling.
Easier movement between parties now that restrictive timelines have been weakened.
The ADC argues that the judgement has effectively reopened the political space, giving politicians more flexibility to seek alternative platforms if they are dissatisfied with developments within the APC.
“We believed at the time that the restriction was designed to prevent people from leaving the ruling party,” the ADC said, adding that the court’s decision could now trigger “a mass exodus from the ruling party.”
