INEC Sets Date for Presidential Election

Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that the next presidential and National Assembly elections will be held on February 20, 2027, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly polls are scheduled for March 6, 2027.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed the timetable at a news conference in Abuja on Friday, stating that the commission had finalised preparations for the election schedule despite earlier delays. 

He noted that the timetable had been submitted to lawmakers but warned that some aspects of the schedule could be affected depending on when the National Assembly passes the amended Electoral Act.

The announcement comes despite concerns over the delayed amendment of the Electoral Act. 

Earlier in the week, the Senate adopted an amendment allowing the live publication of election results after reportedly rejecting the proposal following public pressure.

Over the past decade, INEC has implemented technological measures to enhance the credibility of election results.

However, these innovations have done little to fully restore public confidence, with post-election disputes and litigation remaining common. 

Analysts say trust in the electoral process could improve if results from the country’s 176,000 polling units are uploaded instantly to a centralised public portal.

In the February 2023 presidential election, President Bola Tinubu won the first round with about 36% of the vote, defeating former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi. 

Under Nigeria’s electoral law, a candidate must secure at least 25% of the votes in two-thirds of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to be declared the winner in the first round.