The Nigerian Senate has moved to amend the Electoral Act, reducing the mandatory notice period for elections from 360 days to 300 days.
The legislative adjustment is specifically designed to provide the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with the flexibility needed to shift the 2027 General Election dates, which currently overlap with the holy month of Ramadan.
The initial 2027 election timetable, released by INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan, scheduled the Presidential and National Assembly polls for February 20, 2027.
However, astronomical calculations indicate that Ramadan is expected to begin around February 8, 2027.
Islamic religious leaders warned that holding a national election during the fasting period would depress voter turnout.
Under the Electoral Act 2022, INEC was legally bound to issue a “Notice of Election” no later than 360 days before the poll. By reducing this window to 300 days, the Senate has granted INEC a “buffer zone” of roughly two months.
However, the Senate has now amended clause 28 of the Electoral Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2026, reducing the notice period for general elections to 300 days.
Opeyemi Bamidele, senator representing Ekiti Central and Senate Leader, moved the motion for rescission under orders 1(b) and 52(6) of the Senate Standing Orders.
“Upon critical review of the passed bill, the 360-day notice requirement prescribed in clause 28 could result in the scheduling of the 2027 presidential and national assembly elections during the Ramadan period,” Bamidele said.
The Senate adopted a revised clause 28, which provides that “the commission shall, not later than 300 days before the day appointed for holding an election under this bill, publish a notice in each state of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
“Stating the date of the election, and appointing the place at which nomination papers are to be delivered.
“The notice shall be published in each constituency in respect of which an election is to be held.”
Bamidele said holding elections during Ramadan “could adversely affect voter turnout, logistical coordination, stakeholders’ participation, and the overall inclusiveness and credibility of the electoral process”.
The amendment followed consultations between the leadership of the national assembly and INEC, which had earlier fixed February 20, 2027, for the 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, said Joash Amupitan, INEC chairman, did not deliberately fix the dates to clash with Ramadan.
“It was the immediate past INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, that actually set the template for the election dates from 2019 to 2031,” Lalong said.
The Senate also retained a proviso in clause 60 allowing manual transmission of election results where electronic transmission fails due to network challenges.
Enyinnaya Abaribe, senator representing Abia South, raised a point of order and called for a division on clause 60(3), objecting to the proviso permitting manual transmission.
“This is democracy in action,” Senate President Godswill Akpabio said, directing senators to “signify where they belong by standing up and raising their hands.
At the end of the vote, 55 senators voted in favour of retaining the proviso, while 15 opposed it.
Akpabio said those who supported the proviso “had just saved Nigeria’s democracy”.
With the decision, the Senate reaffirmed that while electronic transmission of results is permitted, the duly signed Form EC8A shall serve as the primary source of results in the event of network failure.
The chamber subsequently passed the Electoral Act (repeal and re-enactment) bill, 2026.
