INEC releases 2027 election timetable as political speculation intensifies

Abuja, 13 February 2026 – Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has formally released the official timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections, opening what is expected to be one of the most closely watched democratic cycles in the country’s recent history.

Announcing the details at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, INEC Chairman Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan confirmed that the presidential and National Assembly elections will take place on Saturday, 20 February 2027. The governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will follow two weeks later on Saturday, 6 March 2027.

The commission also published the following key milestones:

Party primaries: 1 July to 30 September 2026
Submission of candidate lists: 1–31 October 2026
Publication of final list of candidates: 15 November 2026
Campaign period (presidential and National Assembly): 18 November 2026 to midnight on 19 February 2027
Campaign period (governorship and State Houses of Assembly): 15 December 2026 to 5 March 2027
Continuous Voter Registration: April 2026 to January 2027

Professor Amupitan stressed that the timetable complies with the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act 2022, which require the notice of election to be published at least 360 days before polling day. He urged political parties, candidates and the electorate to begin preparations in earnest.

The announcement comes against a backdrop of feverish political calculation. With the dates now fixed, attention has immediately turned to the presidential contest and the enduring question of power rotation.

President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is widely expected to seek a second term. For many of his supporters, 20 February 2027 will be the moment he consolidates his mandate. For others, it could mark the end of his time in office.

Peter Obi, the former Anambra governor who built a formidable youth-led movement in 2023, remains a potent force. Supporters ask whether the coming contest will at last be “Obi’s day”.

Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a perennial northern contender, continues to feature prominently in opposition discussions, including recent talks around the African Democratic Congress (ADC). His potential candidacy revives debate over the informal but long-standing North-South zoning arrangement that has shaped presidential power since 1999. Would Atiku interrupt that unwritten formula and return the presidency to the North?

Although zoning is not enshrined in law, it has become a powerful political norm. Any attempt to break it is likely to provoke fierce resistance, especially in the South.

Political analysts say the next few months will be dominated by alliance-building, party primaries and intense lobbying. With the timetable now public, the countdown to 2027 has officially begun. Nigerians will soon discover whether the election marks continuity, change, or a dramatic reconfiguration of the country’s delicate regional power balance.