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News Analysis:Divergent Opinions As Nigeria’s Election Calendar Faces Overhaul

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12 months ago

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Under a new bill submitted to the National Assembly, Nigeria’s presidential, governorship, and legislative elections may be consolidated to hold in November 2026. The proposal, which aims to repeal the 2022 Electoral Act, makes this rescheduling its primary objective.

Following a one-day public hearing by the Joint Committee on Electoral Matters chaired by Senator Simon Lalong, proposing to move Nigeria’s election dates forward, widespread skepticism and acceptance have been faced at a public hearing. Electoral experts, political parties, and civil society organizations questioned and gave credence to the plan’s propriety, feasibility, and logic.

The amendment proposal was contained in the Reviewed Highlights of the Amendment of the Electoral Act during a public hearing in Abuja. It stipulates that elections into the offices of the president and governors must be conducted “not later than 185 days before the expiration of the term of office of the last holder of the office.”

According to the draft, the provision also extends to elections into the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly, which must now be held “not later than 185 days before the date on which each of the Houses stands dissolved.”

It adds that where a vacancy occurs in any of the Houses more than 90 days before the general elections, such vacancy must be filled within 30 days of its occurrence. The amendment also seeks to align the new electoral calendar with constitutional changes to Sections 76, 116, 132, and 178, which now delegate election timelines to the Electoral Act rather than the Constitution.

Before the public hearing, it was confirmed that politicians, especially those hoping to seek elective offices in 2027, had taken it for granted that the next general elections would follow a similar pattern as previous ones, to hold either in February or March in the year of inauguration.

In the last general polls, the governorship and presidential elections were conducted in February and March 2023 respectively.

Also, part of the bill is that amendments be made to allow security personnel, INEC officials, accredited journalists, observers, ad-hoc staff to vote up to 14 days before election day.

The bill also seeks the removal of election timelines from the Constitution and their inclusion in the Electoral Act to make future adjustments more flexible.

While some are happy about the development, saying the moving of election day to 2026 will give enough time for legal issues to be settled ahead of the inauguration of new administrations, some have kicked against it, saying it would only favour incumbents, adding that it is bound to have negative effects on governance.

Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Adebayo Balogun, said the amendment would help prevent situations where court cases linger after winners assume office.

“We are proposing that all election litigations be concluded before the swearing-in of declared winners. To achieve this, we are recommending that the current 180 days allowed for tribunal judgments be reduced to 90 days, while appellate and Supreme Court decisions should each take no more than 60 days, all within 185 days before inauguration,” he said.

In what is suspected to be a reaction to the wide interest the bill has generated, the Senate on Thursday stepped down the bill, which had earlier been slated for consideration, saying the lawmakers needed more time for wider consultations and a deeper understanding of its provisions.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the Thursday session, said sufficient details on the general principles of the bill were not given and suggested an executive session to consider it.

There were also concerns earlier raised by Senator Binos Dauda Yaroe on the procedure, wondering why a bill which has yet to scale second reading went through a public hearing.

“I support the second reading of this bill. But people will wonder. The second reading is supposed to come before the public hearing that was done last Monday. Holding a public hearing before second reading is confusing,” he said.

Following similar observations by other senators, the bill was stepped down to allow the legislators to consult widely on it.

Before then, the proposal had elicited a wide range of reactions from the political class, election monitoring bodies, and the general public.

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In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party argued that advancing the election date implies a perpetual campaign cycle, a short period for effective governance, and disruption in development planning, and further weakening of institutional focus.

“The president, ministers, governors, and other public officials vying for office or campaigning for others will shift their focus from performance to positioning. Policies will stall, projects will be abandoned, and the entire system will tilt towards 2026 instead of 2027,” part of the statement reads.

Similarly, the factions of the Labour Party differed on the proposal. While the faction led by Julius Abure said the party is fully prepared for the exercise if it holds next year, the Lamidi Apapa-led faction dismissed the idea as unconstitutional and premature.

National Publicity Secretary of the Abure-led faction, Obiora Ifoh, said the party is “100 percent ready” for any election conducted within the timeframe allowed by law. “We are ready for any election, even if it comes in November 2026. But that is not even the problem. The real issue is for INEC to put its act together and address the lapses we witnessed during the 2023 elections,” he said.

However, the coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, faulted the proposal, saying it contradicts the constitutionally guaranteed four-year term of elected officeholders.

“Does it mean they will hold the election before the tenure of the current officeholders expires?” Tanko queried. “It’s confusing. What happens to the remaining months of their term? The constitution provides for four years, not three.”

Mr. Tanko argued that the proposal lacks its legal implications and it was “too sudden.”

Furthermore, at the time of filing this report, no reactions from the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) as regards this issue was reported.

However, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) spokesperson, Ladipo Johnson, also reacted to the proposal, describing it as “a good idea coming at the wrong time.”

The spokesperson of the party noted that while the intention behind the amendment could help resolve post-election litigations before the swearing-in of winners, the timing of the move would put opposition parties at a disadvantage.

The Executive Director of YIAGA Africa, Mr Samson Itodo, said the organisation is in support of the proposal because it has many advantages outside settling all disputes arising from elections.

“It provides clarity for INEC and for other institutions so that they don’t also get distracted, you know, with the whole business of settling down. It gives the institution the opportunity to conclude everything that it has to do with the post-election audit. And that can be done devoid of any sort of pressure or political interference,” he said.

Despite the interest, however, it appears that the bill will not receive an accelerated hearing now that it has been stepped down for further consultations. Added to that, a lot, Nigerian Tracker learnt, would depend on the outcome of the constitution review process which is currently ongoing.

Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, Adebayo Balogun, in an interview with the Daily Trust correspondent, said his committee is working together with the constitution review committee to ensure synergy.

“The Electoral Act is also dragging a bit because of the constitution review. We are waiting for that because we know some of those things are still subject to the provisions of the constitution. Had it been we were not subjected to it, we would have concluded our own probably since last month. Our own does not need to go to the states. After this, we can go for third reading in the next one week and pass it, but because of their own issues, we have to slow down.”

Professor Kamilu Sani Fage, a Kano-based political scientist, in an interview with the Daily Trust also warns that, though the proposal is logical, it could tilt the playing field in favour of the ruling party, undermine democratic fairness, and expose systemic weaknesses in Nigeria’s electoral and judicial institutions.

“The idea behind the proposal is to change the timetable election period from what it used to be by six months. I think the argument they put forward is logical, the idea is that they need sufficient time so that all electoral cases will be settled before swearing in of elected people or elected leaders. I think it is a logical argument, but a wrong one,” Prof. Fage analysed.

When asked what the implications are, the professor responded thus further:

“One, it will give unnecessary advantage to the ruling party because the party that is in office will use the incumbency factor to win the election. In other words, there will be no fair level playing ground for all contestants.

Secondly, it would be a dangerous thing for the country. Imagine a situation where a ruling party fails and it remains in office for six months. Wwithin that period, it will commit all sorts of atrocities.”

If the amendment sails through, there are fears that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may find it hard to cope, given that it has lots of off-cycle elections to conduct before 2027, some of which are the Anambra, Osun, and Ekiti governorship elections as well as the FCT council elections holding next year.

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Kenyan Presidential Aspirant Warns Dangote: ‘Don’t Rush Lamu Refinery, I’ll Send You Back to Nigeria’

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17 hours ago

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October 11, 2026

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

A man identified in a viral video as Kenyan presidential aspirant Patrick Osoi has sparked a heated online debate after warning Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote not to rush into establishing an oil refinery in Lamu, saying he would send the businessman back to Nigeria if elected president.

In the clip, said to have been recorded at a Lions Movement event, Osoi says: “I want to tell Aliko Dangote, please don’t rush to start the refinery because, when I’m sworn in as President of Kenya next year, you will be heading back to Nigeria.”

The remarks appear to reference a proposed $16 billion refinery project in Lamu, a coastal county that Kenya has promoted as a future hub for oil and gas infrastructure. Osoi argued that Kenyan investors have the capacity to build and run such a facility without foreign ownership.

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“We don’t need to beg foreigners to develop our resources,” he said, according to a partial transcript of the video. “Kenyans can do it.”

The video has been shared widely on Facebook, X and WhatsApp, drawing mixed reactions. Supporters praised Osoi for what they called a bold defense of economic sovereignty. Critics warned that the comments could scare off foreign investors and strain Kenya’s diplomatic and trade ties with Nigeria.

Dangote, Africa’s richest man and chairman of Dangote Group, has not publicly responded to the clip. His conglomerate operates one of the world’s largest single-train refineries in Nigeria and has investments in cement, sugar, fertilizer and petroleum across Africa.

The Kenyan government has not commented on the video. It was not immediately clear whether the Lamu refinery project involving Dangote is still active or whether Osoi’s remarks reflect any official policy.

Political analysts say the controversy underscores growing public debate in Kenya over foreign investment, local content and control of natural resources ahead of the next general election, expected in 2027.

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NDC’s Kano Governorship Candidate Gwarzo Missing From INEC Final List

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1 day ago

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October 11, 2026

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Kano State, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, is absent from the final list of governorship candidates released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The three-page list, signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony, contains 17 governorship candidates and their running mates for the Kano election, but neither Gwarzo nor any other NDC candidate appears on it.

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Those listed include Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abacha Muhammed Sani of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and candidates from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party (LP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Action Alliance (AA), African Action Congress (AAC), Action Democratic Party (ADP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), and New Democratic Party (NDP), among others.

The document provides the names, political parties, ages, genders, and educational qualifications of the candidates and their deputy governorship candidates.

INEC did not state why the NDC candidate was omitted, and the published list does not indicate whether the omission is connected to the party’s nomination process, documentation, or another issue.

The development raises questions about the NDC’s participation in the Kano governorship election, although the list alone does not establish the reason for Gwarzo’s absence.

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Dawakin Tofa Academic Forum Holds Maiden Heroes Day, Honours Former Kano Governor

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2 days ago

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October 10, 2026

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The Dawakin Tofa Academic Forum has held its maiden Heroes Day and awards ceremony, honouring 10 distinguished late indigenes of Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State for their contributions to education, public service, politics, community development and other fields.

The event, organised by the Dawakin Tofa Academic Forum, brought together academics, community leaders, elders and other stakeholders to celebrate the legacies of prominent personalities who contributed to the development of Dawakin Tofa, Kano State and Nigeria.

Speaking at the ceremony, the chairman of the forum, Dr Junaidu Danladi, said the organisation was established in 2018 to bring together educated indigenes of Dawakin Tofa, including professors, associate professors and other professionals from tertiary institutions.

Danladi said the forum had grown significantly since its establishment, with more than 100 members committed to promoting educational development and recognising individuals whose contributions had positively shaped the community.

He said the maiden Heroes Day was organised to preserve the history of Dawakin Tofa and ensure that the achievements of its prominent sons were documented and remembered by present and future generations.

In his remarks, Surveyor Muhammad Nadu Yahaya, an elder and former commissioner for lands, budget and planning, described the initiative as a timely and commendable development, saying the recognition of distinguished personalities from Dawakin Tofa was long overdue.

Yahaya said the forum represented the intellectual elite of Dawakin Tofa, whose members had demonstrated a commitment to advancing the community through knowledge, innovation and public service.

He commended the organisers for introducing the Heroes Day initiative, describing the selected award recipients as eminent personalities whose influence extended beyond Dawakin Tofa to Kano State and Nigeria.

Yahaya also called on the people of Dawakin Tofa to make additional efforts to distinguish the local government through educational advancement, community development and other innovative initiatives.

He prayed for Allah’s blessings upon the award recipients and the organisers, urging the forum to sustain the programme as an annual event that would inspire younger generations.

Similarly, Madakin Kano, Yusuf Nabahani Cigari, commended the Dawakin Tofa Academic Forum for recognising the achievements of the community’s late prominent figures.

Cigari said Dawakin Tofa was blessed with accomplished individuals across politics, the economy and public service, adding that the local government had a rich history of producing personalities who contributed to the development of Kano State and the country.

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He urged the people of Dawakin Tofa to remain united and work collectively towards the progress of their community, stressing the importance of preserving its heritage and celebrating its achievements.

The former chairman of the Dawakin Tofa Academic Forum, Dr Ameer Abdul Aziz, presented the profiles and contributions of the personalities selected for the maiden edition of the Heroes Day.

Abdul Aziz explained that hundreds of deserving indigenes could be considered for recognition, but the forum selected 10 individuals for the inaugural edition, with the intention of honouring more distinguished personalities in subsequent editions.

Among those honoured was Bello Kano, also known as Madakin Kano, who was born in 1907 and died in 1987. Abdul Aziz said Bello Kano began his career in education as an assistant teacher before rising to become a headteacher at a middle school.

According to Abdul Aziz, Bello Kano also served in different administrative and legislative capacities and contributed to the establishment of primary and post-primary schools in Dawakin Tofa, helping to expand access to education in the area.

Another recipient was Alhaji Adamu Danguguwa, who lived from 1913 to 1988. Abdul Aziz said Danguguwa acquired Qur’anic education and later attended Samaru Agricultural School, where he received agricultural training.

The forum also recognised a former governor of Kano State, “Alhaji Abdu Dawakin Tofa,” born in 1932 and died in 2003, who studied at Kansas University in the United States and served as commissioner for agriculture, deputy governor and governor of Kano State from May to October 1983.

The late Imam of Dawakin Tofa, Mukhtar Iman, who lived from 1935 to 2008, was also honoured for his contributions to reconciliation and efforts to combat illiteracy, according to Abdul Aziz.

The forum recognised Ahmad Ismail Dungurawa, who lived from 1945 to 2008, for his role in struggles for justice and his efforts to promote the interests of ordinary people.

Another award recipient, Aminu Garba Yaro, was celebrated for his generosity and support for children, including assistance to young people seeking educational opportunities. Abdul Aziz said Yaro, who worked with United Bank for Africa, made contributions to the welfare and advancement of others.

The forum also honoured Engineer Magaji Abdullahi, a water engineer who lived from 1947 to 2016, for his contributions to Dawakin Tofa, Kano State and Nigeria. Abdul Aziz said Abdullahi’s professional work and services had made a lasting impact on the community ,a prominent politician and a former Deputy Governor of Kano state from 2003 to 2007.

Abdullahi Maikano Rabiu, who lived from 1949 to 2021, was recognised for his commitment to supporting students, including those he knew personally and others who approached him for assistance, according to Abdul Aziz.

Abdul Aziz described Rabiu as a compassionate individual and a man of wisdom whose generosity helped many people pursue their educational ambitions.

The forum also honoured Alasan Dawakin, who was born in 1946 and died in 2023, for dedicating about five decades of his life to teaching and learning, according to the former chairman.

Another honouree was Malam Abdullahi Maikano, who lived from 1942 to 2023, in recognition of his contributions to the community.

The organisers said the Heroes Day was designed not only to honour the achievements of the deceased personalities but also to encourage younger generations to emulate their commitment to education, service, integrity and community development.

The maiden edition marked an effort by the Dawakin Tofa Academic Forum to document the history of prominent indigenes and establish a platform for celebrating individuals whose contributions might otherwise be forgotten.

The forum is expected to use the initiative to strengthen community ties, promote educational values and encourage the emergence of future leaders committed to the development of Dawakin Tofa and Kano State.

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