INEC Fixes Date For 2027 Presidential Election

Samuel Solomon

The Independent National Electoral Commission has fixed February 20, 2027 for the Presidential and National Assembly elections, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly polls will take place on March 6, 2027.

INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, unveiled the timetable during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday.

The announcement comes against the backdrop of mounting concerns over the delayed passage of the amended Electoral Act, which is still before the National Assembly.

Earlier, on February 4, INEC had indicated that it had concluded work on the election timetable and schedule of activities despite the pending amendment.

The commission also released the official campaign timelines for political parties and their candidates. Campaigns for the Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled to begin on November 18, 2026, and will close on February 19, 2027.

For the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections, campaign activities will commence on December 15, 2026, and conclude on March 5, 2027 — 24 hours before the respective election dates.

In preparation for the polls, INEC disclosed that Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) will start in April 2026 and end in January 2027, providing eligible Nigerians sufficient opportunity to register or update their voter details.

The commission further stated that political parties are to conduct their primaries between July 1 and September 30, 2026. Thereafter, parties must submit the names of their candidates to INEC between October 1 and October 31, 2026.

The final list of candidates will be made public on November 15, 2026.

The commission said it had already forwarded the proposed timetable to lawmakers but warned that certain aspects of the schedule could be adjusted depending on when the revised Electoral Act is eventually enacted.