The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially released the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 General Elections, outlining critical milestones for voter registration, political party primaries, campaigns, and the conduct of the polls.
According to the timetable, the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise will commence in April 2026 and run until January 2027. During this period, eligible Nigerians can register as new voters, replace lost or damaged Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), transfer their voting locations, and update their personal records, including those who attain the age of 18.
INEC announced that political party primaries for all elective positions will hold between July 1 and September 30, 2026, giving parties a three-month window to conduct their internal democratic processes. Parties are expected to organise congresses at the ward, local government, state, and national levels and submit the results of their primaries to the Commission within one week of completion.
The submission of candidates’ lists has been scheduled for October 1 to October 31, 2026, during which political parties are required to upload the names of their candidates and running mates via INEC’s online nomination portal. The final list of candidates will be published on November 15, 2026.
Campaign activities for the Presidential and National Assembly elections will commence on November 18, 2026, and end on February 19, 2027, while campaigns for Governorship and State Assembly elections will begin on December 15, 2026, and conclude on March 5, 2027.
INEC has fixed the Presidential and National Assembly elections for Saturday, February 20, 2027, while the Governorship and State Assembly elections will take place on Saturday, March 6, 2027.
Other key activities in the timetable include the display of the voters’ register in October 2026, collection of PVCs from December 2026 to February 2027, training of ad-hoc election personnel within the same period, and the distribution of sensitive and non-sensitive election materials between February and March 2027.
The Commission urged political parties, stakeholders, and the electorate to strictly adhere to the timelines, stressing that full compliance is critical to ensuring a smooth, credible, and transparent electoral process in 2027.
