NASS Mulls Plans To Hold Presidential, Governorship Elections In November 2026
The National Assembly is considering holding both the Presidential and Governorship elections in November of 2026.
This is as a result of the new proposed amendments to the 2022 electoral Act being considered by both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
This would alter the normal practice whereby elections are held between February and March of the year that the tenure of the office holder is ending.
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.
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.
At the session, stakeholders also 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.
