The Independent National Electoral Commission has said it will review the Electoral Act 2026 in order to comply with the law as regards schedules for the 2027 elections.

Mr Adedayo Oketola, the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, said the commission would release a “revised timetable”.

Oketola, who was not specific on the date for the release, insisted that INEC was committed to abiding by the laws of the land.

He stated this in an interview with Sunday PUNCH while reacting to the demand of some political parties for the release of a new timetable.

Leaders of the parties, who spoke to our correspondents, said another timetable had become inevitable in the light of the new electoral act.

They added that it was essential for them to organise primaries and other internal activities ahead of the polls.

INEC had last Friday announced that the presidential and National Assembly elections would take place on February 20, 2027, while governorship and state Houses of Assembly polls were scheduled for March 6, 2027.

The timetable drew criticism from sections of the public, particularly Muslim groups, who argued that the proposed dates clashed with the holy month of Ramadan.

Amid the controversy, the National Assembly passed the Electoral Act 2026, which reduced the mandatory notice period for elections from 360 days to 300 days.

The revised Clause 28 states that INEC “shall, not later than 300 days before the day appointed for the holding of an election under this Act, publish a notice in each state of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory — (a) stating the date of the election; and (b) appointing the place at which nomination papers are to be delivered.”

The amendment is expected to give INEC flexibility to schedule the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections between late December 2026 and January 2027.

Legal experts believe that INEC cannot continue preparations for the 2027 elections under the 2022 Electoral Act, which has been amended to accommodate new provisions.

A revised timetable Is not optional – SANs

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Femi Falana, said the electoral commission must produce another timetable.

“There must be a new timetable in line with the new electoral act. That is the place of law,” he said.

A senior constitutional lawyer, who spoke with Sunday PUNCH on condition of anonymity due to ongoing advisory engagements with political parties, said the legal implications were straightforward.

According to him, once a new law comes into force, it supersedes every prior framework.

He added that INEC could not legally operate on a timetable anchored to a repealed statute.

“If the Electoral Act 2026 has altered the notice period and related submission windows, then, as a matter of constitutional compliance, the commission must realign its timetable. Anything short of that invites a legal challenge,” he said.

The SAN, who Is based in Ilorin, Kwara State, explained that election timetables are not mere administrative conveniences but legal instruments derived directly from statutory provisions.

“The timetable is a derivative of the Act. If the Act changes, the derivative instrument must also change. Otherwise, you create a conflict between statutory law and administrative action. That is precisely the kind of inconsistency that courts are quick to strike down.

“This is not about whether INEC prefers to adjust or not. It is about legality. A compressed notice period of 300 days instead of 360 automatically shifts the permissible window for party primaries, candidate submission and regulated campaigning.

“Even if the commission attempts to retain earlier administrative dates, those dates must fall squarely within the new statutory parameters. If they do not, affected parties will challenge them.”

The lawyer warned that failure to proactively recalibrate the calendar could open the floodgates of pre-election litigation.

“Political actors are highly sensitive to timing. If one party believes another gained advantage from a timetable not strictly aligned with the new law, the courts will be approached immediately.

“Once litigation begins, operational certainty suffers. It is far safer for INEC to review and publicly re-issue a harmonised calendar than to defend avoidable lawsuits.

“Electoral stability depends on predictability, but predictability must rest on lawful foundations. The safest institutional path is transparency: acknowledge that the legal framework has changed, adjust the timetable accordingly and communicate clearly with stakeholders. In my professional opinion, a revised timetable is not optional; it is imminent if the new law is to be faithfully implemented,” he added.

Similarly, one of the principal national officials of the All Progressives Congress, who spoke with Sunday PUNCH on condition of anonymity, said a new timetable for the 2027 polls was imminent.

He noted that since the 2022 Electoral Act had been repealed, all electoral processes must be conducted under the 2026 Electoral Act.

The official said, “We (APC) are expecting them to do that anytime soon, so that they will not run foul of the new electoral law, which gives specific days for the notification and conduct of elections.”

Parties demand adequate time for primaries

Meanwhile, political parties also warned that any delay in issuing a fresh timetable would create uncertainty around their internal activities.

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, Bolaji Abdullahi, said INEC must act without delay to allow parties to plan properly.

He noted that the ADC still had council and state congresses to conduct, as well as two national conventions, warning that insufficient notice could disrupt statutory processes.

“INEC will probably come up with a new election timetable, but there are a lot of things that still need to be looked at as they review the timetable. Everything now depends on INEC, even the issue of e-transmission of results and all that.

“For us, the most important thing is that INEC should decide as quickly as possible. We are also hoping that it will not be done in a way that they will not give us sufficient time to do all the necessary party activities, because we still have congresses to do at the local government and state levels, and we still have two national conventions to hold,” Abdullahi said.

The ADC chieftain called on INEC to involve political parties and other relevant stakeholders in reviewing the election timetable.

He said, “We are also hoping that INEC will give us enough time to prepare and carry out all our internal activities without flouting the law. Normally, INEC will invite political parties to be part of whatever decision they will take, and we are hoping that they will do that.”

On its part, the New Nigeria Peoples Party urged the electoral commission to move quickly, especially if the elections are to be held earlier than February 2026.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Dipo Johnson, said parties needed to know the pace of preparations to avoid being rushed by tight deadlines.

“If INEC is considering changing the election timetable, they will have to do that as quickly as possible, especially if the election will come slightly sooner than February. People, particularly political parties, will need to know at what pace they will prepare for the election.

“This will also help political parties to prepare adequately for their internal activities because these activities must take place as quickly as possible or when due, so that we will not be rushed or made to face deadlines we are not prepared for.

“INEC must put its house in order in line with the Electoral Act as quickly as possible. The electoral commission must invite all parties and other relevant stakeholders to be actively involved in whatever decision it takes so that the new election timetable will be widely accepted by everyone,” Johnson said.

On its part, the Peoples Democratic Party urged INEC to ensure that the election timetable aligns with the Electoral Act to allow the commission and political parties prepare for the elections.

A factional National Publicity Secretary of the party, Ini Ememobong, said, “What we are saying is that INEC released a timetable, now the legislature has passed the law, so they will have to ensure that their timetable aligns with the law so that everyone can prepare for the election.”

The party said It had no confidence in INEC to conduct a free and fair election.

“INEC has not shown intentionality towards having a free and fair election. Our battle is about Section 84 and Section 60(3),” Ememobong added.

Oketola, the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, said the matter was receiving attention.

He said, “The recently released time-table by INEC was done in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and Section 28 (1) of the Electoral Act 2022. The commission will review the new Electoral Act 2026. After this, a revised timetable should be released.”

PFN moves against religious interference

Meanwhile, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria has kicked against calls for the adjustment of the 2027 election timetable over concerns that it coincides with the Ramadan fasting period.

The group warned that changing election dates on religious grounds could weaken the country’s secular status.

Speaking with , the National Secretary of PFN, Bishop David Bakare, said shifting the proposed election timetable on religious grounds would heighten concerns about the country’s commitment to maintaining neutrality among different faiths.

He warned that frequent changes to election schedules based on religious considerations could create constitutional complications.

According to him, the trend reinforces fears that religion is being given undue preference in state affairs.

Bakare questioned whether the country still operates as a secular state, emphasising that in more advanced democracies, elections do not disrupt economic activities or shut down institutions.

“All the noise about the need to change the election date because it falls within the Lenten season and Ramadan further reinforces the fact that Nigeria has not only lost the status of a secular state, but we have also preferred one religion to another.

“In 2023, we had an election that fell within the Lenten season, and there was no noise about it; there was no trouble about it. The election was held. Why is the 2027 case different because it falls within Ramadan?

“Unfortunately, people we expect to lead us — politicians we expect to reinforce the strength of the constitution that guarantees a secular state — are at the forefront of the agitation against elections holding during religious activities. These are politicians who should be vanguards in upholding the constitutional provision that Nigeria is a secular state.

“Are we not a secular state? In other advanced democracies, you don’t even take a holiday because of elections. But in Nigeria, there is a holiday for everything,” Bakare said.

He maintained that elections should remain civic exercises driven by citizens’ participation rather than religious considerations.

Bakare urged political leaders and the elite to defend the constitution, stressing that it clearly defines the country as a secular state.

He also called for adherence to constitutional timelines for election announcements, warning that unnecessary alterations could destabilise the process. (Sunday PUNCH)

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