THE TIMETABLE FOR 2027 ELECTIONS

By Nick Dazang 

Against the backdrop of electoral reforms climaxed by the surreal theatre on real time transmission of election results from polling units to the IReV, the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) issued the Timetable And Schedule of Activities For The 2027 General Elections on Friday, 13th February 2026.

In issuing the Timetable and Schedule of Activities, the Commission deferred to Sections 76(2), 116(2), 132(2) and 178(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). Pursuant to these sections of the Constitution, the 2027 General Elections must hold not earlier than one hundred and fifty (150) days and not later than thirty(30) days before the expiration of the terms of office of the last holders of those offices.

Additionally, Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 – which is the extant law – states that:”The Commission shall not later than 360 days before the day appointed for holding of an election under this Act, publish a notice in each State of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory – (a) stating the date of the election; and (b) appointing the place at which nomination papers are to be delivered.”

Drawing inspiration from both the Constitution and the Electoral Act, and to confer predictability on our elections, as obtains in other democracies, the Commission had designated every third Saturday of the February of an election year as the date for our election.

What the aforementioned Sections and designation imply is that in the absence of the enactment of a new law, the subsisting Electoral Act 2022 remains the legal framework with which to operate. Besides, it means that unless the Commission acts with resolve and despatch, as it did, the window left for it to issue the Timetable and Schedule of Activities would have closed. This would have given rise to a constitutional crisis.
There are fourteen crucially important milestones to be crossed in the Timetable And Schedule of Activities for the conduct of the 2027 General Elections. From the beginning(Notice of Election), already served by the Commission, to the climax(Date of Election), each milestone is undergirded by relevant sections of the Constitution or the Electoral Act, as the case may be.

These thresholds, informed by the law, are a scrupulous guide to all stakeholders in the electoral process – the voters, political parties, candidates, youth and women groups, civil society, professional groups, leaders of faith-based organizations, the media, traditional rulers, people with disability, security agencies, observers, the Commission etc. The Timetable helps stakeholders to plan with and around these activities.

The issuance of the Timetable and Schedule of Activities is a loud and clear announcement that the 2027 General Elections are upon us. Consequently, activities will begin to notch up around party primaries and campaigns on the part of the political parties.

Party primaries are pivotal to our democracy. It is when the political parties observe democratic practices regarding how candidates emerge on their platforms that they can ultimately comport themselves in a democratic manner. The bane of our political parties, apart from their being devoid of ideology, is that they do not practice internal democracy. Candidates are foisted rough shod by the party bigwigs. And as the trite saying goes, you cannot give what you do not have. Neither can you brim with democratic ethos when you discountenance and disparage them.

Another undoing of our political parties is their propensity to allow only persons with deep pockets to emerge as their flag-bearers. This has not only driven less-heeled candidates to the margins, the parties have been saddled more with plutocrats and the rich at the expense of talented and savvy persons who would have added greater value to governance and development.

The Electoral Act 2022 gives ample time for political parties to conduct primaries and to nominate candidates. The hiatus of 180 days between nomination of candidates and the actual conduct of elections as provided for in Section 29(1) of the Act gives the Commission greater latitude to do its procurement and with less pressure when compared to the repealed Electoral Act 2010(as amended).
Ahead of the 2023 General Elections, the Commission took advantage of this yawning leeway, not only to do its procurement with minimal pressure but to print its ballot papers and result sheets in-country. This was a boon for both our local printers and our economy. Our printers rose to the challenge of printing sensitive election materials with professionalism and the country was saved hard currency that would have been deployed to print abroad. The logistics and costs of ferrying the printed materials from abroad were eschewed.

A prelude to the climax of the Timetable is campaign by political parties. Section(94(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 provides that campaign in public by every political party shall commence one hundred and fifty(150)days before polling day and end twenty four(24) hours prior to that day. The temptation, often, is for candidates to begin campaigning in earnest and way before stakeholders have arrived at this threshold. Witness how Abuja was awash with posters and billboards adorned with pictures of aspirants last year until the media raised the alarm.
Apart from the fact that early campaigns do detract from, and breach the law, they distract political office holders from delivering good governance. Given the onerous challenges confronting the country, political parties will do well to commit themselves to strict adherence to the law. Let us keep our eyes focused on the ball of good governance. The Commission, which has regulatory and oversight functions over the political parties, should carry out its functions in this regard with vigor and rigor whenever there is a transgression.

While we await the coming into effect of the Electoral Act 2026, warts and all, the Electoral Act 2022 serves as a premise on which to begin. And as certain provisions of the Electoral Act are subsequently supplanted, it means the Regulations and Guidelines for the conduct of our elections plus the Manual will not be set in stone. We look forward to their being reviewed and re-issued to agree with the amendments effected.

And with the 2027 General Elections coinciding with the Ramadan and Lent, we should expect an adjustment in the Timetable. INEC, ever responsive and sensitive to its stakeholders, may conduct the elections ahead of this fasting season.