An Act that calls the holding of presidential and governorship elections six months before the end of the tenure of incumbents across the country has been made by the National Assembly
The proposed Act which is an amendment to the 2022 Electoral Act has been submitted for assention by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
21st CENTURY CHRONICLE reports that should Tinubu sign the bill into law, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INECC) would be expected to conduct the the next general elections in November 2026 instead of February and March 2027.
The proposed law which was contained in the Reviewed Highlights of the Amendment of the Electoral Act demands that elections into the offices of the president and governors must be conducted “not later than 185 days before the expiration of the term of office of the last holder of the office.”
The National Assembly Joint Committees on Electoral Matters in collaboration with the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), organized the hearing during which stakeholders, including lawmakers, political parties, civil society organisations (CSOs), and electoral experts, made extensive submissions.
The 10th National Assembly began a new electoral reform due to the lapses experienced in the 2023 general elections as well as mounting pressure from political actors, CSOs, and other Nigerians to improve the integrity of the process ahead of 2027.
The proposed law also captures elections into the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly, which must hold “not later than 185 days before the date on which each of the Houses stands dissolved.”
It noted that where there is a vacancy in any of the Houses more than 90 days before the general elections, such vacancy must be filled within 30 days of its occurrence.
The amendment also aligns with the new electoral calendar with constitutional changes to Sections 76, 116, 132, and 178, which now delegate election timelines to the Electoral Act rather than the Constitution.
Reacting to the development, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, faulted the proposal to hold elections six months before the expiration of tenure, saying it was “unnecessary and potentially counterproductive.”
He said the change could threaten the election process, adding that with that the incumbents could use the extended transition period to frustrate successors. “If elections are held too early, incumbents might use the remaining months in office to pile up debts or make mass appointments. We’ve seen this happen in several states,” he said.
