BREAKING: INEC Begins Early Preparations for 2027 General Elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has today, April 23, 2026, officially kicked off activities for the 2027 general elections.

Naija News reports that today kicks off the 38-day window for political parties to conduct primaries and choose candidates for the 2027 general elections based on the provisions of the Electoral Act and the revised timetable released by INEC.

Counting from today, political parties in the country now have exactly 38 days to hold primaries for presidential, governorship, National Assembly, and State Houses of Assembly positions, including resolving any disputes.

Parties must also submit their membership registers to INEC at least 21 days before their primaries, with the overall submission deadline being May 10, 2026.

It will be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had released a revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections.

According to the revised timetable, the dates for the presidential and governorship polls have now been fixed for January 16, 2027.

The Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections have also been rescheduled to take place on Saturday, February 6, 2027.

Naija News reports that the move is in compliance with the Electoral Act 2026, recently signed into law by President Bola Tinubu following its passage by the National Assembly.

In a statement signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, INEC explained that the new legal framework necessitated a complete review of the previously announced dates.