National Assembly Moves to Shift Presidential, Governorship Elections to November 2026 in New Electoral Act Amendment

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the National Assembly is considering amending the Electoral Act to move presidential and governorship elections from the usual February or March to November 2026.

This proposal is part of the draft amendments to the 2022 Electoral Act, which specify that such elections must hold no later than 185 days before the end of the incumbent’s tenure on May 29.

The amendment was discussed on Monday during a one-day public hearing organised by the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Electoral Matters.

At the session, several stakeholders called for the inclusion of electronic voting and electronic transmission of results to enhance transparency in the electoral process.

According to Section 4(7) of the proposed amendment, “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.” Based on this provision, the next presidential and governorship polls would fall in November 2026.

Similarly, Section 4(5) stipulates that elections into the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly must also be conducted not later than 185 days before their dissolution dates.

To give legal backing to the adjustment, the joint committee explained that the amendment introduces new subsections now Section 27 (5–7)—following changes to Sections 76, 116, 132, and 178 of the Constitution, effectively transferring the authority to determine election timelines from the Constitution to the Electoral Act.

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Bayomi Felicia

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