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The National Assembly has proposed that Nigeria’s next presidential and governorship elections be held in November 2026, instead of the traditional February or March of the election year. This new timeline is part of the amendments being considered for the 2022 Electoral Act, which were discussed on Monday during a one-day public hearing organised by the joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Electoral Matters.
The proposed amendment seeks to ensure that elections into the offices of President and State Governors are conducted no later than 185 days before the expiration of their tenure, which is usually May 29. Based on this calculation, the 2027 general elections would be held in November 2026.
According to the draft document, Section 4(7) of the proposed amendment states: “Elections into the office of the President and Governor of a State shall be held not later than 185 days before the expiration of the term of office of the last holder of the office.”
For elections into the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly, Section 4(5) of the amendment states that such elections must also be held “not later than 185 days before the date on which each of the Houses stands dissolved.”
The proposal, lawmakers explained, is designed to allow sufficient time for election petitions and court judgments to be concluded before the swearing-in of winners.
Honourable Adebayo Balogun, Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, said the early election date would ensure smoother transitions of power. He explained that the plan includes constitutional amendments to Sections 285 and 139 of the 1999 Constitution to reduce the timeline for election litigations.
According to Balogun, “To ensure that all manner of election litigations are dispensed with before the swearing-in of winners, we are proposing to reduce the 180 days given to election tribunals to 90 days, and 90 days expected for judgment by the appellate court to 60 days. Up to the Supreme Court, all cases must not exceed 185 days.”
This means all election-related court cases would be fully resolved before any new government is inaugurated, addressing one of the major issues that have often disrupted governance in Nigeria after elections.
The joint committee explained that the proposed changes also aim to remove the determination of election timelines from the Constitution and place them under the Electoral Act for easier adjustment in the future. This, according to the committee, will make the law more flexible and adaptable to emerging electoral realities.
In addition to the timeline change, several other key amendments are being proposed. One of the most significant is the introduction of early voting, which will allow certain categories of Nigerians — such as security officers, accredited journalists, election observers, and ad-hoc staff — to cast their votes 14 days before the general election date.
The draft bill also includes a proposal for mandatory electronic transmission of election results. Section 60(5) of the amendment states: “The Presiding Officer shall transmit the results, including the total number of accredited voters, to the next level of collation both electronically and manually.”
The amendment also proposes penalties for electoral officers who fail to comply with voting regulations. Any Presiding Officer or Collation Officer who distributes unstamped ballot papers or result sheets could face one year in jail, a ₦1 million fine, or both.
The public hearing also featured presentations from stakeholders, including representatives from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), civil society organisations, and political groups.
The representative of INEC, Professor Abdullahi Zuru, said the commission supports the proposal to move elections to November, noting that it would give the commission more time to prepare, handle logistics, and address disputes before the end of tenure in May.
Stakeholders at the hearing also renewed their demand for the full adoption of electronic voting and real-time transmission of results, arguing that such reforms would strengthen public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
The proposed amendments mark another major effort by the National Assembly to improve Nigeria’s electoral system, following years of criticism over election logistics, late court rulings, and post-election tensions. If passed into law, Nigeria could conduct its next presidential and governorship elections six months before the end of the current administration’s term — a move lawmakers believe will promote credibility, reduce post-election conflicts, and enhance governance stability.
