According to report by Nigerian Tribune on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, a recent Federal High Court ruling in Abuja has sparked a fresh wave of political realignments among defeated All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirants, senators, and members of the House of Representatives following last week’s party primaries.
The judgment, which set aside parts of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) timetable, is widely seen as having opened the space for increased defections ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Findings indicate that a growing number of aggrieved APC aspirants are concluding arrangements to exit the party, with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), and National Democratic Congress (NDC) emerging as leading destinations.
Other smaller parties such as the Accord Party and Action Democratic Party (ADP) are also expected to gain from the ongoing political movement.
Across several states including Edo, Benue, Plateau, Oyo, Jigawa, Gombe, Nasarawa, Bauchi, and Kwara, consultations are reportedly ongoing between dissatisfied politicians and opposition platforms.
More than 70 federal lawmakers are said to have lost their bids to return to the National Assembly during the APC primaries, alongside several governorship hopefuls who also failed to secure tickets.
Justice Muhammed Umar, delivering the ruling, held that INEC has no legal authority to shorten the statutory 120-day pre-election timeline for submission of candidate particulars and party registers as provided in the Electoral Act 2026.
The court therefore voided INEC’s May 10 deadline and restored September as the valid submission window, easing immediate pressure on affected politicians.
Before the judgment, many of the politicians who lost primaries were effectively constrained within their party structures due to the tight electoral schedule.
The ruling has now provided them with wider room to negotiate alternative political platforms.
Already, defections have begun in states like Bauchi and Jigawa, where some lawmakers and senators have moved to the PRP and ADC respectively over grievances from the primaries, while several prominent APC figures are still weighing their next political steps.