From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has released the timetable and schedule of activities for the Osun and Ekiti states governorship elections.
The electoral umpire fixed Saturday, June 20, 2026 and Saturday, August 8, 2026 for the Ekiti and Osun guber polls, respectively.
The INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, made the disclosure in his remarks during the swearing in of six new Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja on Friday.
According to him, “In line with the requirements of the law, the commission is under legal obligation to publish the notices for major elections, not later than 360 days before the date fixed for the election. In compliance with the law, the commission has approved the timetable and schedule of activities for the Ekiti and Osun state governorship elections.
“The last governorship elections in the two states were held in June and July 2022. The four-year tenure of the governors will end next year. For Ekiti State, the election will be held on Saturday, June 20, 2026.
“However, party primaries will start on October 20, 2025 and end November 10, 2025 to enable political parties to upload their nomination forms to the dedicated portal, which automatically shuts down by 6.00pm on December 22, 2025 that is not later than 180 days before the election.
“The final list of candidates will be published on January 18, 2026, while campaigns in public by political parties will commence on January 21, 2026 and end 24 hours before election day.”
On the Osun governorship polls, the commission revealed that the party primaries would start on November 24, 2025 and end December 15, 2025.
“The portal for the upload of nomination forms by political parties closes at 6.00pm on February 9, 2026 that is not later than 180 days before the election. The final list of candidates will be published on March 9, 2026, while campaigns in public by political parties will commence March 11, 2026 and end 24 hours before election day,” Yakubu stated.