A proposal has been made by the National Assembly to move the next presidential and governorship elections six months earlier than usual.
The proposal requesting that the poll be conducted in November 2026 was made on Monday during a public hearing jointly organised by the Senate and House Committees on Electoral Matters in Abuja.
Contained in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2025, the move seeks to ensure that all election petitions are concluded before the May 29, 2027, handover date.
“Elections into the office of the President and Governor of a State shall be held not later than 185 days before the expiration of the term of office of the last holder of the office,” the draft amendment reads.
The above implies that the general elections would be held in November 2026, about six months before the end of the current administration’s tenure.
Speaking on the proposal, Hon. Adebayo Balogun, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, said it is to “ensure that all manner of election litigations are dispensed with before the swearing in of winners.”
According to Balogun, the National Assembly plans to amend Sections 285 and 139 of the 1999 Constitution to shorten the timelines for election petitions, reducing tribunal judgments from 180 to 90 days, appellate court decisions from 90 to 60 days, and ensuring that the entire judicial process does not exceed 185 days.
Credit: The Sun