Follow Us on Google
By Goli Innocent
The Nigerian Senate has amended Clause 28 of the Electoral Act (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill, 2026, reducing the notice period for general elections from 360 days to 300 days to avoid a potential clash with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in 2027.
The decision followed concerns that the earlier timeline could disrupt participation and logistics.
The upper chamber rescinded its previous passage of the bill and recommitted it to the committee of the whole after lawmakers warned that the 360-day requirement might compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fix election dates within Ramadan.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, who moved the motion under Orders 1(b) and 52(6) of the Senate Standing Orders, said a critical review of the legislation revealed the risk.
He noted that holding elections during Ramadan “could adversely affect voter turnout, logistical coordination, stakeholders’ participation, and the overall inclusiveness and credibility of the electoral process.”
Other News
The amendment followed consultations between the leadership of the National Assembly and INEC, which had earlier scheduled February 20, 2027, for presidential and National Assembly elections, and March 6, 2027, for governorship and state assembly polls.
Simon Lalong, chairman of the Senate committee on electoral matters, clarified that the current INEC leadership did not deliberately fix the dates to coincide with Ramadan, explaining that former INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu had established the election timetable template spanning 2019 to 2031.
Lawmakers also debated Clause 60, which permits manual transmission of results where electronic transmission fails due to network challenges.
Enyinnaya Abaribe called for a division on the clause, objecting to the proviso. Following a vote, 55 senators supported retaining the manual backup option, while 15 opposed it.
Presiding over the session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said those who backed the proviso “had just saved Nigeria’s democracy.”
With the decision, the Senate reaffirmed that while electronic transmission remains permissible, the duly signed Form EC8A will serve as the primary source of results where network failures occur, before passing the bill.
