2027: INEC to Release Revised Election Timetable

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced plans to review the Electoral Act 2026 and release a revised timetable for the 2027 general elections to align with the new law.

INEC’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Adedayo Oketola, said the commission remains committed to complying with legal provisions, following demands from political parties and legal experts for a fresh timetable.

The controversy followed INEC’s earlier schedule fixing presidential and National Assembly elections for February 20, 2027, and governorship and state Assembly polls for March 6, 2027. However, the newly passed Electoral Act 2026 reduced the mandatory notice period for elections from 360 to 300 days, requiring adjustments.

Senior lawyers, including Femi Falana (SAN), said a revised timetable is legally mandatory, stressing that INEC cannot operate under a repealed law. Political parties such as the All Progressives Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, African Democratic Congress, and New Nigeria Peoples Party also urged the commission to act quickly to allow adequate time for primaries and internal processes.

Meanwhile, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria opposed calls to adjust election dates over Ramadan concerns, warning that altering the timetable on religious grounds could undermine Nigeria’s secular status.

INEC said it is reviewing the new law and will issue a harmonised timetable in due course.