Wetin you need to know about di Inec revised 2027 election timetable

Election joinbodi for Nigeria di Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) don revise di 2027 general election dates dem bin release sake of di new Electoral Act wey di President sign into law recently.

Di revised timetable say di presidential and National Assembly elections go now hold on January 16, 2027, while di govnorship and state House of Assembly elections go now hold on February 6, 2026.

Inec bin schedule di presidential and National Assembly election to hold on February 20 while dat of di govnorship and state House of Assembly's suppose hold on March 6, 2026.

For statement Inec tok tok pesin Mohammed Haruna say dem make di changes after dem repeal di 2022 law and enact di Electoral Act 2026 wey introduce changes to di normal timeline for pre-election and oda election activities.

Dem also review timeline for oda 2027 election processes.

Oda items for di revised timeline

According to di revised timetable, political parties go now conduct dia primaries between April 23 and May 30, and resolve all disputes wey fit come up within dat time.

Election campaigns for presidential and National Assembly elections go start for August 19 while campaigns for govnorship and state House of Assembly go begin on September 9.

Like di repealed law, di new act still say all campaigns must end 24 hours before Election Day.

President Bola Tinubu bin sign di new electoral act into law on February 18 after di National Assembly pass di bill.

Some members of di National Assembly and some Nigerians bin oppose bill sake of how di Senate reject di clause wey suppose mandate electoral officers to do electronic transmission of election results.

Members of di House of Representatives bin earlier sign one version of di bill wey mandate election officials to do electronic transmission of election results from di polling units to di Inec Result Viewing Portal (IReV) immediately voting stop, but di senate reject di reject di clause and say make officials transmit results to collation centres but no make am compulsory for dem to do electronic transmission.

Di matter bin cause plenty gbas-gbos for Nigeria and plenti pipo enta street to protest di matter.

Di Senate reconsider dia earlier stand and resolve say electronic transmission dey optional and say make dem use manual transmission for wia internet no dey

How opposition react to di new Electoral Act

Meanwhile joinbodi of opposition parties for Nigeria don reject di newly amendment Electoral Act 2026 say e dey 'undemocratic'.

For joint press conference on Thursday di parties call on di Nigeria National Assembly to begin process of further amendment of di electoral act to reflect wetin dem refer to as 'yearnings of Nigerians'.

Former Nigeria Vice President and ADC Atiku Abubakar, presidential aspirants Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi and follow for pipo wey attend di press conference.

National Chairman of di New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP), Ahmed Ajuji, read di speech on behalf of all opposition parties.

Ahmed Ajuli say di opposition dey consider several provisions of di Electoral Act amendment Bill 2026 wey President Bola Tinubu sign into law on February 18 as attempt to subvert will of di people during di 2027 general election and to install one-party state.

According to him, if dem implement di new Act, e go undermine electoral transparency and sanctity of ballot wey symbol of democracy.

Oda tins di coalition dey ask for be say dem dey concerned about Section 60(3), wey give wetin dem call "undefined discretionary powers" to presiding officers ontop di issue of electronic transmission of results.

Dem say dat section comot purpose wey make dem introduce electronic transmission of election results from polling units.

"Dat clause wey dem comot na blank cheque to any pesin wey wan manipulate di result by delaying di electronic transmission of results from polling units to INEC Results Viewing Portal (IREV), dem wan use excuse of network failure" na so Ajuli tok.

E say dem find dat excuse of unavailability or possibility of network failure for Section 60(3) as dubious and inconsistent with reality.

Mr Ajuji cite data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) wey show say Nigeria get over 95 per cent 2G coverage across di country.

E also site statement from di immediate past INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, wey tok say di Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) wey dey operates offline, don achieve over 90 per cent success rate nationwide.

"Yakubu bin tok say for event of network failure for point of transmission, result dem transmitt go still deliver successfully whenever network don dey available," na so e tok.

Mr Ajuji also tok say di opposition dey reject provisions for Section 84, wey limit political parties to direct primaries and to consensus for candidate selection. Say dat one dey affect di autonomy of political parties wey dey guaranteed under di constitution, say dem create am to cause kasala for political parties ahead of di 2027 elections.

E say wetin dem want be make all political parties get their own right to do dia own nominations anyhow dem choose internally.

Nigeria presidency caution opposition parties

After di press conference by opposition political parties, tok tok pesin of Nigeria president Bayo Onanuga release statement dey condemn di move by opposition political parties, say dem make reckless and spurious allegations against President Bola Tinubu and di APC-led Federal Government.

E say di opposition, especially di ADC don become party wey dey make irresponsible political statements to attract cheap headlines and mislead di public.

E say di opposition dey work wit some civil society groups to wage war of disinformation against di National Assembly and di present administration, say dem wan impose dia will on Nigerians and di legislature wey be arm of govment wey get power to make law for good governance for di kontri.

Mr Onanuga say di Koko be say National Assembly enact di amendment to the Electoral Act wey allow real-time transmission of election results and use of Form EC8A as a backup incase network failure happun.

Say di claim by di opposition say Form EC8A dey create loophole for manipulation dey illogical and na needless tantrum by pipo wey suppose understand di system better.

E say every Nigerian understand say di kontri dey get network glitches sometimes. Say di 2026 Electoral Act no prohibit real-time transmission; say wetin e tok be say incase transmission fail, dem go now consider di result dem record on Form EC8A.

E add say di claim say di National Assembly ignore di wishes of Nigerians be falsehood.