The Senate and House of Representatives have proposed that presidential and governorship elections be conducted in November 2026, instead of the usual February or March of the election year.
The proposal is contained in the draft amendments to the Electoral Act 2022, discussed on Monday during a one-day public hearing by the Joint Committee on Electoral Matters chaired by Senator Simon Lalong (APC, Plateau South).
According to Section 4(7) of the proposed amendment, “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.”
With the current administration’s tenure ending on May 29, 2027, the next presidential and governorship elections would fall in November 2026, as 185 days before that date falls within the month.
Similarly, the proposed amendment to Section 4(5) states that federal and state legislative elections “shall be held not later than 185 days before the date on which each of the Houses stands dissolved.”
Lawmakers explained that the amendment is intended to provide sufficient time to resolve election disputes before newly elected leaders are sworn in.
Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Adebayo Balogun, said the change would help end situations where court cases drag on after elected officials assume office.
“We are proposing that all election litigations be concluded before the swearing-in of declared winners,” Balogun said.
“To achieve this, we are recommending that the current 180 days allowed for tribunal judgments be reduced to 90 days, while appellate and Supreme Court decisions should each take no more than 60 days — all within 185 days before inauguration.”
He added that corresponding amendments would be required to Sections 285 and 139 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to align with the proposed timeline.
At the public hearing, stakeholders — including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), represented by Prof. Abdullahi Zuru — expressed support for electronic voting and transmission of results to strengthen transparency.
Under Section 60(5) of the proposed amendment, presiding officers would be mandated to transmit election results both electronically and manually. Non-compliance would attract a penalty of one-year imprisonment, a ₦1 million fine, or both.
The amendment also proposes early voting for categories such as security personnel, INEC officials, accredited journalists, observers, and ad-hoc staff, allowing them to vote up to 14 days before election day.
Additionally, the committee recommended removing election timelines from the Constitution and placing them in the Electoral Act to allow easier future adjustments.
“Section 28, now renumbered as Section 27(5–7), was introduced to reflect this change and unlock the constitutional restrictions on election timelines,” the document stated.
Stakeholders at the hearing largely endorsed the proposed reforms, describing them as crucial to improving electoral credibility, enhancing institutional efficiency, and ensuring that post-election disputes no longer overlap with new tenures.
