INEC says it will review the Electoral Act 2026 and issue a revised timetable for the 2027 elections amid legal, political and religious debates over scheduling.
The Independent National Electoral Commission said it would review the Electoral Act 2026 and release a revised timetable for the 2027 elections to align with the new law. Mr Adedayo Oketola, Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, said the commission would comply with statutory provisions. “The commission will review the new Electoral Act 2026. After this, a revised timetable should be released,” he said.
The amendment reduced the mandatory notice period from 360 to 300 days, prompting legal experts and political parties to demand a fresh timetable. Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Femi Falana, said, “There must be a new timetable in line with the new electoral act. That is the place of law.” Parties including the ADC, NNPP and PDP urged INEC to act swiftly to allow adequate time for primaries and internal processes.
Meanwhile, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria opposed calls to adjust election dates over Ramadan. PFN National Secretary, Bishop David Bakare, warned that altering schedules on religious grounds could weaken Nigeria’s secular status. “Are we not a secular state?” he asked, adding that elections should remain civic duties free from religious considerations and unnecessary constitutional complications.