2027: INEC to unveil new timetable

The Independent National Electoral Commission has said it will review the Electoral Act 2026 in order to comply with the law as regards schedules for the 2027 elections.

Mr Adedayo Oketola, the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, said the commission would release a “revised timetable”.

Oketola, who was not specific on the date for the release, insisted that INEC was committed to abiding by the laws of the land.

He stated this in an interview with The Punch while reacting to the demand of some political parties for the release of a new timetable.

Leaders of the parties, who spoke to our correspondents, said another timetable had become inevitable in the light of the new electoral act.

They added that it was essential for them to organise primaries and other internal activities ahead of the polls.

INEC had last Friday announced that the presidential and National Assembly elections would take place on February 20, 2027, while governorship and state Houses of Assembly polls were scheduled for March 6, 2027.

The timetable drew criticism from sections of the public, particularly Muslim groups, who argued that the proposed dates clashed with the holy month of Ramadan.

Amid the controversy, the National Assembly passed the Electoral Act 2026, which reduced the mandatory notice period for elections from 360 days to 300 days.

The revised Clause 28 states that INEC “shall, not later than 300 days before the day appointed for the holding of an election under this Act, publish a notice in each state of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory — (a) stating the date of the election; and (b) appointing the place at which nomination papers are to be delivered.”

The amendment is expected to give INEC flexibility to schedule the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections between late December 2026 and January 2027.

Legal experts believe that INEC cannot continue preparations for the 2027 elections under the 2022 Electoral Act, which has been amended to accommodate new provisions.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Femi Falana, said the electoral commission must produce another timetable.

“There must be a new timetable in line with the new electoral act. That is the place of law,” he said.

A constitutional lawyer, who spoke with The Punch on condition of anonymity due to ongoing advisory engagements with political parties, said the legal implications were straightforward.

According to him, once a new law comes into force, it supersedes every prior framework.

He added that INEC could not legally operate on a timetable anchored to a repealed statute.

“If the Electoral Act 2026 has altered the notice period and related submission windows, then, as a matter of constitutional compliance, the commission must realign its timetable. Anything short of that invites a legal challenge,” he said.

The SAN, who is based in Ilorin, Kwara State, explained that election timetables are not mere administrative conveniences but legal instruments derived directly from statutory provisions.

“The timetable is a derivative of the Act. If the Act changes, the derivative instrument must also change. Otherwise, you create a conflict between statutory law and administrative action. That is precisely the kind of inconsistency that courts are quick to strike down.

“This is not about whether INEC prefers to adjust or not. It is about legality. A compressed notice period of 300 days instead of 360 automatically shifts the permissible window for party primaries, candidate submission and regulated campaigning.

“Even if the commission attempts to retain earlier administrative dates, those dates must fall squarely within the new statutory parameters. If they do not, affected parties will challenge them.”

The lawyer warned that failure to proactively recalibrate the calendar could open the floodgates of pre-election litigation.

“Political actors are highly sensitive to timing. If one party believes another gained advantage from a timetable not strictly aligned with the new law, the courts will be approached immediately.

“Once litigation begins, operational certainty suffers. It is far safer for INEC to review and publicly re-issue a harmonised calendar than to defend avoidable lawsuits.

“Electoral stability depends on predictability, but predictability must rest on lawful foundations. The safest institutional path is transparency: acknowledge that the legal framework has changed, adjust the timetable accordingly and communicate clearly with stakeholders. In my professional opinion, a revised timetable is not optional; it is imminent if the new law is to be faithfully implemented,” he added.

Similarly, one of the principal national officials of the All Progressives Congress, who spoke with Sunday PUNCH on condition of anonymity, said a new timetable for the 2027 polls was imminent.

He noted that since the 2022 Electoral Act had been repealed, all electoral processes must be conducted under the 2026 Electoral Act.

The official said, “We (APC) are expecting them to do that anytime soon, so that they will not run foul of the new electoral law, which gives specific days for the notification and conduct of elections.”