NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PROPOSES SHIFTING 2027 ELECTIONS TO NOVEMBER 2026

The National Assembly has proposed moving Nigeria’s next general elections to November 2026, roughly six months earlier than the traditional February/March schedule.

The proposal is contained in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2025, which was unveiled during a joint public hearing organised by the Senate and House Committees on Electoral Matters in Abuja.

The bill seeks to repeal the current Electoral Act 2022 and enact a new Electoral Act 2025, introducing several key reforms, including ashift in the election timeline, an adjustment intended to ensure that all pre- and post-election litigations are concluded before the constitutionally mandated handover date of May 29, 2027.

While stakeholders, including civil society organisations and legal experts, welcomed the move as a step toward enhancing electoral integrity, some lawmakers cautioned that simply adjusting the timeline may not be sufficientunless the judiciary is strengthened to efficiently handle the high volume of election-related cases.

If approved, this amendment would mean that Nigeria’s presidential and governorship elections could be conducted in November 2026, marking a significant departure from the previous election cycles.