The National Assembly has proposed that the 2027 presidential and governorship elections be held in November 2026 instead of the usual February or March.
The proposal is contained in a draft amendment to the 2022 Electoral Act presented on Monday during a one-day public hearing organised by the Joint Committee on Electoral Matters of both chambers.
According to Section 4 (7) of the proposed amendment, elections into the offices of the president and governor “shall be held not later than 185 days before the expiration of the term of office of the last holder of the office.”
The change means the elections will take place around November 2026, given that the tenure of the current administration ends on May 29, 2027.
For legislative elections, Section 4 (5) provides that polls into the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly shall also be conducted not later than 185 days before the dissolution of the houses.
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, Adebayo Balogun, said the proposed amendment aims to allow enough time for the resolution of election petitions before the swearing-in of winners.
He explained that the plan includes reducing the period for tribunal judgment from 180 days to 90 days, while appellate and Supreme Court judgments will take 60 and 35 days respectively.
Balogun added that sections 285 and 139 of the 1999 Constitution would also be amended to align with the proposed changes.
The draft amendment also introduces early voting for certain categories of voters, including security personnel, INEC officials, accredited observers, journalists, and ad hoc staff, to be conducted not later than 14 days before election day.
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Furthermore, the bill makes electronic transmission of election results mandatory and removes the compulsory use of permanent voter cards.
Section 60 (5) of the proposed amendment states that presiding officers must transmit results electronically and manually to the next level of collation.
It also prescribes penalties for non-compliance, including fines and imprisonment.
The amendment criminalises the distribution of unstamped ballot papers and result sheets, prescribing one-year imprisonment or a fine of ₦1 million for offenders.
Stakeholders at the public hearing, including representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), expressed support for the proposed changes aimed at improving transparency and credibility in the electoral process.