The National Assembly is proposing to move the next presidential and governorship elections from the traditional February/March timeline to November 20, 2026—six months earlier—as part of an amendment to the Electoral Act.
The core motivation, according to proponents, is to ensure all electoral litigation is concluded before winners are sworn in, thereby avoiding the situation where a “wrong person” governs for years only to be removed by court order. They plan to facilitate this by reducing the time for election tribunals and appellate court judgments. Additionally, some supporters argue that holding presidential and governorship elections on the same day will significantly reduce electoral fraud, as politicians will be too busy fighting for their own survival to rig for allies.
However, many Nigerians, led by groups like the African Democratic Congress (ADC), strongly oppose the shift. Their primary concern is that moving the elections to November 2026 will plunge the country into a state of “perpetual campaign.” They argue that current leaders will abandon their duties and divert state resources to re-election efforts for two years, crippling governance and development. Critics maintain that the solution to lengthy election petitions is not to change the calendar, but to reform and strengthen the judiciary for faster resolution, pointing to other democracies that resolve disputes in a matter of weeks. The proposal also includes a provision for early voting for essential workers.
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