The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed reports claiming it has released the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general election, describing the circulation as “false and misleading”.
In a statement issued Friday night in Abuja, the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, said the Commission has not published any timetable or schedule for the 2027 polls and urged Nigerians to disregard documents suggesting otherwise.
The clarification comes amid references to an earlier internal projection contained in an INEC publication titled “Election Management in Nigeria, 2015–2025”, released under the immediate past chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
In that document, INEC had proposed anchoring Nigeria’s general elections on a fixed cycle:
- Presidential and National Assembly elections on the third Saturday in February.
- Governorship and State Assembly elections exactly two weeks later.
The book went as far as listing projected dates for the next ten general elections, including:
- 2027: Feb 20 (Presidential & NASS), March 6 (Governorship & State Assembly)
- 2031: Feb 16 & March 1
- 2035: Feb 17 & March 3
- 2039: Feb 19 & March 5
- 2043: Feb 21 & March 7
- 2047: Feb 16 & March 2
- 2051: Feb 18 & March 4
- 2055: Feb 20 & March 6
- 2059: Feb 15 & March 1
- 2063: Feb 17 & March 3
However, INEC stressed that such long-term projections do not constitute an official timetable or legal schedule of activities.
The Commission reiterated that it operates strictly within the framework of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2022. It cited Section 28(1) of the Act, which mandates that a notice of election must be published not later than 360 days before the date appointed for a general election.
“Any timetable or schedule issued outside this statutory framework could not have emanated from the Commission,” the statement said.
INEC assured citizens that the official timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general election will be released “in due course” and only through its established and verified channels.
The electoral body urged the public and media organisations to verify information using its official platforms and to ignore unauthorised documents or social media posts purporting to be the 2027 election timetable.
