Nigeria’s next general elections take place in early 2027, earlier than first announced. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections for Saturday 16 January 2027, and the governorship and State House of Assembly elections for Saturday 6 February 2027. Here is what has been decided, and what has changed since 2023.
The 2027 election dates
INEC chairman Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, first released a timetable on 13 February 2026 that fixed 20 February 2027 for the presidential vote and 6 March 2027 for the governorship polls. Two weeks later, on 27 February 2026, the commission issued a revised timetable that brought both dates forward by five weeks. INEC said the repeal of the Electoral Act 2022 and the enactment of the Electoral Act 2026 required it to realign its schedule. The new law also cut the notice period for elections from 360 days to 300 days, a change lawmakers made so that the polls would not fall during Ramadan.
| Election | Date |
|---|---|
| President and Vice-President | Saturday 16 January 2027 |
| Senate and House of Representatives | Saturday 16 January 2027 |
| Governors and Deputy Governors (28 states) | Saturday 6 February 2027 |
| State Houses of Assembly (36 states) | Saturday 6 February 2027 |
Other key dates in the schedule:
- Party primaries: 23 April to 30 May 2026.
- Presidential and National Assembly campaigns: from 19 August 2026.
- Governorship and state assembly campaigns: from 9 September 2026.
- Final list of presidential candidates: published by INEC on 12 September 2026. Who is running for president.
As usual, there are no governorship elections in the eight off-cycle states in early 2027: Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Ondo and Osun. Their governors were elected on separate dates, because courts in the past removed governors and restarted their four-year terms. Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi vote again in late 2027. Why some states vote at different times.
The Electoral Act 2026
President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Act 2026 on 18 February 2026, after almost two years of debate in the National Assembly. The bill repealed and re-enacted the Electoral Act 2022. The changes most discussed are:
- Electronic transmission supports, but does not replace, the paper trail. Polling unit results can be transmitted electronically to INEC’s result viewing portal, with manual transmission as the fallback where networks fail. The paper result sheet, form EC8A, remains the primary legal record. Signing the law, the president said results are “finalised by humans, not computers”.
- IReV stays as a viewing portal. Results photographed at polling units can still be uploaded for the public to view, and can sync later where there is no network.
- A shorter notice period. INEC must now publish the notice of election 300 days before polling day, down from 360.
Opposition lawmakers objected to leaving the weight of electronic transmission to INEC’s discretion, and some walked out of the House of Representatives during the vote. Supporters of the change pointed to gaps in network coverage and the risk of hacking. Telecom operators disputed the coverage argument.
The courts had already ruled, after 2023, that the IReV portal is not part of the legal collation of results. The 2026 Act writes a similar position into law.
The political landscape
The landscape has changed a great deal since 2023. A wave of defections between 2025 and early 2026 left the APC in control of most states, while the PDP split into two factions that each claimed its ticket. A new opposition coalition grew around the African Democratic Congress (ADC), then split again when Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso left for the National Democratic Congress (NDC). By the close of nominations, INEC had listed 18 presidential candidates, led by President Tinubu (APC), Atiku Abubakar (ADC), Peter Obi (NDC) and Oyo governor Seyi Makinde (APM).
What voters should do now
- Check your registration. If you registered before but moved or lost your card, use INEC’s continuous voter registration to transfer or replace it.
- Collect your PVC. You cannot vote without your permanent voter card.
- Know your polling unit. Use elect.ng’s polling unit finder to see your ward and polling unit.
- Follow your constituency. Track candidates, events and results for where you vote on elect.ng.
