NASS Proposes November 2026 Date for Presidential, Governorship Elections

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the National Assembly has proposed that presidential and governorship elections be conducted in November 2026, instead of the traditional 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 organised 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 offices of President and Governor shall be held not later than 185 days before the expiration of the term of office of the incumbent.

Given that the current administration’s tenure ends on May 29, 2027, the next presidential and governorship polls would therefore take place around November 2026, as 185 days before May 29 falls within that period.

Similarly, Section 4(5) of the proposal provides that elections into the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly “shall be held not later than 185 days before the date on which each of the Houses stands dissolved.”

Lawmakers explained that the adjustment aims to allow sufficient time for the resolution of election petitions before winners are sworn into office.

Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Adebayo Balogun, said the move would prevent a recurrence of situations where court cases linger after elected officials have assumed office.

“We are proposing that all election litigations be concluded before the swearing-in of declared winners.
To achieve this, we recommend 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,” Balogun explained.

He further noted that the amendment would also require corresponding changes to Sections 285 and 139 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to align with the new electoral timeline.