Proposals for electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 general elections took a new turn on Monday as the National Assembly suggested that presidential and governorship polls be conducted in November 2026, instead of the usual February or March 2027 dates.
In draft amendments to the 2022 Electoral Act, both the Senate and the House of Representatives recommended that elections into the two offices be held not later than 185 days before the expiration of the incumbent’s tenure, which ends on May 29.
The proposal effectively places the next presidential and governorship elections in November 2026.
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The National Assembly also proposed that all election litigations be concluded before the swearing-in of elected officeholders.
These recommendations were unveiled during a one-day public hearing by the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Electoral Matters. Stakeholders at the hearing also demanded the adoption of electronic voting and electronic transmission of results.
According to Section 4(7) of the proposed amendment: “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.”
Similarly, Section 4(5) proposes that elections into the National and State Houses of Assembly be conducted not later than 185 days before the dissolution of the current assemblies.
To avoid constitutional conflicts, the joint committee clarified that the proposal would transfer the determination of election timelines from the constitution to the Electoral Act.
Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Adebayo Balogun, said the reform aims to ensure that all election-related litigations are resolved before the inauguration of winners.
“To ensure that all manner of election litigations are dispensed with before the swearing-in of winners, we are proposing amendments that will reduce the 180 days for tribunal judgments to 90 days, and the 90 days expected of appellate court judgments to 60 days — up to the Supreme Court — all within 185 days,” he explained.
Other key proposals include early voting, allowing security personnel, INEC officials, accredited journalists, domestic observers, and ad-hoc staff to cast their votes up to 14 days before election day.
The amendment also seeks mandatory electronic transmission of results, criminalises the distribution of unstamped ballot papers and result sheets, and prescribes a one-year jail term or a ₦1 million fine for offenders.
Stakeholders, including INEC’s representative, Prof. Abdullahi Zuru, expressed support for the proposed amendments.