Nigeria adjusts timetable for 2027 general elections

ABUJA, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's next presidential election will be held more than one month earlier than previously scheduled, following a revised timetable released late Thursday by the country's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to the new schedule, presidential and National Assembly elections are set for Jan. 16, 2027, while governorship and state assembly elections will take place on Feb. 6, 2027.

INEC said the elections were earlier fixed for Feb. 20 and March 6, 2027, respectively, under the Electoral Act, 2022, but the timetable was adjusted after the repeal of the law and the enactment of the Electoral Act, 2026, which revised key statutory timelines.

Party primaries, including the resolution of disputes arising from them, are expected to take place between April 23 and May 30, 2026. The submission of nomination forms by political parties via INEC's online portal for national elections will run from June 27 to July 11.

Public campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections are set to begin on Aug. 19, 2026, while campaigns for governorship and state houses of assembly elections will start on Sept. 9, 2026.

Governorship elections will not be held in eight of Nigeria's 36 states next year due to off-cycle polls in Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Ondo and Osun states. Meanwhile, Nigeria's capital, Abuja, is administered by a minister appointed by the president, in line with the country's constitution. ■