Opposition Kicks As National Assembly Moves To Shift 2027 Elections To 2026

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Opposition in the country is enraged over a fresh bid by the National Assembly to move the 2027 presidential and governorship elections to November 2026.

Bellnews reports that the proposal is part of amendments to the 2022 Electoral Act, which seeks to move the elections forward by about six months to allow all pre and post-election litigations to be concluded before the May 29, 2027, handover date.

If the bid is successful, the presidential and gubernatorial elections would be conducted in November 2026, rather than the traditional February or March dates.

The proposal forms part of the draft amendments to the 2022 Electoral Act, which stipulate that elections for both offices must be held no later than 185 days before the expiration of the incumbent’s tenure on May 29.

Section 4(7) of the proposed amendment states that “elections into the office of the president and governor of a state shall be held not later than 185 days before the expiration of the term of office of the last holder of the office.”

For legislative elections, Section 4(5) of the proposed amendment provides that “elections into the state houses of assembly and the National Assembly shall be held not later than 185 days before the date on which each of the houses stands dissolved.”

At Monday’s joint public hearing, the House Committee on Electoral Matters, chaired by Adebayo Balogun, argued that moving the polls to November 2026 would help “ensure that all manner of election litigations are dispensed with before the swearing-in of winners.”

Balogun stated that the goal was to create sufficient time for the resolution of election petitions, as the committee also proposed an amendment that would reduce the 180-day tribunal judgment period to 90 days.

“Ninety days are expected of judgment by the appellate court, up to 60 days by the Supreme Court, which will not exceed 185 days,” he said.

Reacting to the development in an interview with Punch, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, accused the National Assembly of trying to “buy more time” for Tinubu.

He said, “The National Assembly should not be thinking of tinkering with the Electoral Act in this regard. If their plan is to give President Bola Tinubu an opportunity to stay a bit longer before he goes, they should own up.

“The move is ill-timed and not in the best interest of Nigerians. What Nigerians want in the Electoral Amendment is for the BVAS to be constitutionally enabled to be part of the process and for election results to be transmitted in real time.”

Similarly, the National Publicity Secretary of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ladipo Johnson, warned that bringing the polls forward could put the opposition at a disadvantage.

“Personally, I feel that it is a way to hoodwink the opposition.

“Those in government will be better prepared, while other parties will be forced to go back to the drawing board. Holding elections in November 2026 may be too early for those expecting February or March 2027,” he said.

But the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Yunusa Tanko, called for broader consultations, warning lawmakers against acting in self-interest.

“Anything that the National Assembly wants to do, they should subject it to public opinion first.

“They shouldn’t do things only in their interest. They should learn to consult the people by having a public hearing. We have seen in the past how such unilateral actions backfire,” Tanko cautioned.


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