•Senate gets cttee’s report tomorrow, Reps adjourn plenary for 2 weeks
- INEC is required by 2022 law to give notice on February 24. *CSOs, parties, and others kick
Written by Gift Chapi-Odekina, Henry Umoru, and Clifford Ndujihe
UNLESS the National Assembly accomplishes its work on the modification of the Electoral Act within three weeks and gets President Bola Tinubu to assent immediately, the 2027 election may be postponed or conducted using the 2022 electoral legislation.
Fresh anxiety over the fate of the 2027 general elections heightened over the weekend following Thursday’s decision of the House of Representatives to step down discussion of the Electoral Act modification bill.
This was amid concerns by opposition parties and civil society organisations that delays by the National Assembly could disrupt the country’s closely regulated voting timeline.
A seven-person committee was created by the Senate last week to coordinate senators’ contributions to the bill, and it will provide its findings tomorrow.
If the polls were to be conducted on February 20, 2027, under the 2022 Electoral Act, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, must publish the notification on or before February 24.
Why? INEC is required under Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 to publish an election notice no later than 360 days prior to the day of voting. The next presidential election is scheduled on February 20, 2027; the last one took place on February 25, 2023.
INEC is running out of time.
This means INEC is rapidly running out of time, even with the existing law. Without postponement, a variety of important improvements submitted by stakeholders and politicians cannot be enacted in 2027.
The proposed change to move the presidential and gubernatorial elections to November 2026 is more concerning.
That schedule is now essentially unfeasible due to the current 360-day notice requirement and the lack of a modified statute, revealing a growing disconnect between legislative aspirations and legal reality.
Legislators suggested that presidential and gubernatorial elections be held no later than 185 days before to the May 29, 2027, expiration of incumbents’ terms at a joint public hearing on October 13, 2025.
Section 4(7) of the draft 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.”
Elections would take place in November 2026 according to this computation. However, the idea is already in conflict with statutory deadlines because there is no updated law in place and the 360-day notice requirement is still in effect.
Sweeping adjustments are suggested
The National Assembly is proposing far-reaching changes, including: holding all elections in one day; mandatory electronic transmission of results; early voting for security personnel and election officials; diaspora voting; and closure of election disputes before swearing-in.
Adebayo Balogun, the chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, clarified that the amendments were intended to stabilize the electoral schedule and shorten litigation deadlines.
“We are proposing an amendment that will reduce 180 days of tribunal judgement to 90 days, which will all not exceed 185 days, to ensure that all manner of election litigations are dispensed with before the swearing in of winners,” he said.
Section 60(5) further mandates electronic transmission of results and imposes sanctions for election malfeasance by authorities.
Reforms may wait till 2031
The House of Representatives suspended debate on the measure after it revealed during plenary that there were insufficient copies of the proposed revisions for lawmakers, a circumstance that forced the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, to halt operations on the subject.
Ruling on the matter, Abbas highlighted that MPs must be fully given with legislative materials to enable informed debate and effective lawmaking, instructing that consideration of the Electoral Act be held until enough copies were made accessible.
In order to allow standing and ad hoc committees to defend the 2026 budget with ministries, departments, agencies, and MDAs, the House also adjourned plenary for two weeks. This effectively pushed consideration of the crucial electoral reforms further into the legislative calendar.
Plenary is due to return following the budget defence exercise, with the Electoral Act modification among pending topics, but the halt has increased fears among political and civil society circles that time may be running out for serious reforms, ahead of 2027.
Senate sets up ad-hoc committee
In contrast, the Senate announced the establishment of a seven-member ad hoc committee to harmonise and distil senators’ perspectives on the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2025.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, stated this after a secret session that lasted about two hours, saying that the committee was mandated to condense inputs and fast-track final discussions.
The Chairman of the committee is Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, with members comprising Senators Adamu Aliero, Aminu Tambuwal, Adams Oshiomhole, Danjuma Goje, Tony Nwoye and Titus Zam. Emmanuel Odo, the Senate Clerk, will act as secretary.
Akpabio stated that the committee had 48 hours to complete its task and report back at plenary the following week. He added that the purpose of the secret session was to provide senators a chance to carefully review the proposed amendments and accompanying materials prior to additional discussion.
Key amendments proposed
Among the features of the proposed revisions are stricter regulations on election expenditures, heavier punishments for electoral violations, and better safeguards for openness in voting, collation and result transmission.
The bill proposes an upward revision of punishment for violations related to nomination, increasing penalties from ¦ 50 million to ¦ 75 million, as well as stiffer sanctions for purchasing and selling voters’ cards, including fines of up to ¦ 5 million and a 10-year ban from contesting elections.
Additional provisions include the requirement that results be electronically transmitted in real time to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV), increased use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), more precise guidelines regarding candidate withdrawals, more stringent party primary regulations, campaign expense caps, and steps to prevent abuse of voters who are visually impaired or incapacitated.
In addition, the law aims to stiffen penalties for inducing delegates during primaries, restrict party congresses and conventions, and tighten deadlines for inspecting electoral materials.
ADC claims intentional stalling
Nevertheless, in spite of these suggested changes, the APC-controlled National Assembly was accused by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) of purposefully delaying the bill’s adoption in order to damage the legitimacy of the 2027 elections. In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the continuous delay had prompted suspicions of purposeful stalling, aimed at eroding crucial safeguards needed to make elections more transparent and tougher to manipulate.
The party called attention to current legislative requirements that INEC publish election notices at least 360 days before to the polls, pointing out that the window of opportunity for compliance was already closing.
Lack of clarity about the election framework, according to ADC, can put opposition parties in “booby traps” and seriously hinder INEC’s capacity to plan appropriately, establish deadlines, and provide precise legal guidance.
It called on the National Assembly to move quickly, cautioning that any more delay might seriously jeopardize the 2027 elections’ integrity and erode public trust in the process as a whole.
Lawyers, CSOs, INEC raise alarm
Attorneys cautioned that a protracted delay could result in a legal maze, with late revisions leading to different judicial interpretations and pre-election litigation.
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, said election changes lose significance if not finished early enough for adequate implementation, noting that INEC and political parties required clarity to plan successfully.
INEC, albeit careful in its public remarks, has always maintained that early approval of the Electoral Act is crucial for logistics, procurement, training and voter education, warning that constrained timelines raise the risk of operational failures.
Uncertainty lurks over 2027
Anxiety regarding the seamless conduct of the 2027 polls is heightened by the uncertainty surrounding the speed and conclusion of electoral reforms, as the Senate is currently discussing and the House has shelved the measure.
As pressure rises on the National Assembly, stakeholders stress that only rapid, transparent and bipartisan action will restore faith in the election process and avert an impending catastrophe.
