Nigeria’s 2027 elections moved to January for the first time since 1999

Nigeria will hold its next presidential election on 16 January 2027, the Independent National Electoral Commission announced on Thursday, bringing forward a vote that had been scheduled for February and setting a date that will be the earliest in the country’s post-military democratic history.

The shift was triggered by the repeal of the Electoral Act 2022 and the enactment of a new Electoral Act 2026, which introduced changes to the statutory timelines governing pre-election activities and left the commission’s earlier schedule legally untenable. INEC has also fixed 6 February 2027 for governorship and state houses of assembly elections, a fortnight after the federal contests.

Mohammed Haruna, the national commissioner chairing the commission’s information and voter education committee, said the revised timetable had been realigned to ensure full compliance with the new legal framework. Political parties have been put on notice that primaries must be conducted and all related disputes resolved between 23 April and 30 May 2026, leaving candidates less than eight months between their emergence from primaries and election day.

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Campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly races will open on 19 August 2026, with governorship and state assembly campaigns beginning on 9 September. All campaigns must cease 24 hours before polling. “Political parties are strongly advised to adhere strictly to these timelines,” Haruna said. “The Commission will enforce compliance with the law.”

Since Nigeria’s return to civilian rule in 1999, every presidential election has been held between late February and late April — a pattern so consistent it had come to feel fixed. The 1999 election was held on 27 February, followed by 19 April in 2003, 21 April in 2007, 16 April in 2011, 28 March in 2015, and 23 February and 25 February in 2019 and 2023, respectively. A January election will be a new experience for Nigerian voters, electoral officials, and the political parties that must now compress their campaign cycles accordingly.

In a separate announcement, INEC said the Osun State governorship election, previously scheduled for 8 August 2026, has been moved by one week to 15 August 2026. The commission noted that some preparatory activities for both the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections had already been conducted under the old law, and said remaining activities would proceed under the Electoral Act 2026.

The full revised timetable is available on INEC’s official website.