The Senate has amended Clause 28 of the Electoral Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2026, reducing the statutory notice period for general elections from 360 days to 300 days.

The amendment is intended to prevent the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections from coinciding with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. To achieve this, the Red Chamber rescinded its earlier passage of the bill and recommitted it to the Committee of the Whole after concerns emerged that the 360-day requirement could compel the electoral body to schedule elections during Ramadan.

The motion for rescission was moved by Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate Leader and senator representing Ekiti Central, citing Orders 1(b) and 52(6) of the Senate Standing Orders. He warned that the original timeline could negatively affect voter turnout, logistics, stakeholder participation, and the overall credibility of the electoral process.

Following debate, the Senate adopted a revised Clause 28, mandating that the Independent National Electoral Commission publish a notice of election not later than 300 days before polling day in each state and the Federal Capital Territory, specifying election dates and nomination venues.
The amendment followed consultations between the leadership of the National Assembly and INEC, which had earlier fixed February 20, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly elections, and March 6, 2027, for governorship and state assembly polls.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Simon Lalong, said the dates were not deliberately set to clash with Ramadan, noting that the election timetable followed a template established by a previous INEC leadership.

The Senate also retained a proviso in Clause 60 allowing manual transmission of election results where electronic transmission fails due to network challenges. Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe objected to the provision and called for a division, but a majority of senators voted to retain it.

Announcing the outcome, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the decision protected Nigeria’s democracy. The chamber reaffirmed that while electronic transmission is permitted, the duly signed Form EC8A will serve as the primary source of results in the event of network failure.
With these decisions, the Senate subsequently passed the Electoral Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2026.