By Amofokhai Williams
Nigeria’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has formally rescheduled the 2027 general elections following the enactment of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The commission has thus pushed the presidential and National Assembly polls forward to Saturday, January 16, 2027, and the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections to Saturday, February 6, 2027.
The Commission, in a statement released late Thursday by its National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Malam Mohammed Kudu Haruna, explained that the earlier dates-February 20, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly races and March 6, 2027, for governorship and state assembly contests, were set under the now-repealed Electoral Act, 2022.
The new law, signed by President Bola Tinubu on February 18, 2026, introduced changes to key timelines for pre-election processes, prompting INEC to revise the schedule for full legal compliance.
The revised timetable sets party primaries, including the resolution of any disputes arising from them, to run from April 23 to May 30, 2026.
Presidential and National Assembly campaigns will begin on August 19, 2026, while governorship and state assembly campaigns are slated to start on September 9, 2026.
As required by law, all campaigning must cease 24 hours before polling day, and INEC warned that it will strictly enforce these deadlines.
The Commission also announced a one-week postponement of the Osun State governorship election, originally fixed for Saturday, August 8, 2026, and now rescheduled to Saturday, August 15, 2026.
Some preparatory steps for the off-cycle governorship polls in Ekiti and Osun states have already taken place, but remaining activities will proceed in line with the provisions of the 2026 Act.
INEC stressed that the updated dates align with both the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2026. The full revised timetable has been published on the Commission’s official website and other channels for public access.
