INEC Unveils Timetable for 2027 General Elections, Candidate Nominations Begin June 26

Nigeria’s electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission, has released a detailed schedule for activities leading to the 2027 General Elections, outlining key dates for candidate nominations, campaign periods, withdrawals, and election days.
According to the timetable, political parties will begin collecting access codes on June 26, 2026, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja. The access codes will enable parties to upload details of their candidates through INEC’s online nomination portal.
The nomination process for the Presidential and National Assembly elections is scheduled to commence on June 27, 2026, and will run until July 11, 2026. During this period, political parties are expected to submit Forms EC9 and EC9A-E electronically through the portal.
For the Governorship and State Assembly elections, the nomination portal will be opened from July 18, 2026, to August 8, 2026, allowing parties to upload candidate information for state-level contests.
Under the timetable, INEC will publish the final list of Presidential and National Assembly candidates on August 15, 2026, while parties have until August 25, 2026, to withdraw or replace candidates for those elections.
The commission also fixed August 29, 2026, as the deadline for the submission of hard copies of Forms EC13A-E relating to Presidential and National Assembly candidates.
Campaign activities for the Presidential and National Assembly elections are expected to officially commence on September 23, 2026, giving political parties and candidates the green light to begin rallies, media campaigns, billboards, and other lawful electioneering activities.
For governorship and state assembly contests, political parties are required to submit Form EC13 by September 26, 2026, while INEC will publish the final list of candidates on October 6, 2026. The deadline for withdrawal or replacement of candidates in these categories has been fixed for September 24, 2026.
The commission further announced that campaigns for governorship and state assembly elections will begin on December 2, 2026.
As election day approaches, campaign activities for the Presidential and National Assembly elections will end at midnight on January 15, 2027, ahead of voting scheduled for January 16, 2027.
Similarly, campaigns for Governorship and State Assembly elections will conclude at midnight on February 4, 2027, with voters expected to head to the polls on February 6, 2027.
The timetable provides political parties, candidates, and stakeholders with a clear roadmap for preparations ahead of what is expected to be one of Nigeria’s most closely watched electoral cycles. With nomination processes, campaign windows, and election dates now outlined, attention is expected to shift toward party primaries, coalition negotiations, and candidate emergence across the country.
Political observers say the schedule marks the formal commencement of preparations for the 2027 electoral season, setting the stage for intense political activity in the months ahead.