Presidential, NASS elections to hold February 25, 2023 as late signing of Electoral Act forces INEC to shift polls

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed the timeline for the 2023 general elections.

The INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this at a news conference on Saturday in Abuja.

Yakubu also promised to ensure fairness in the electoral process in line with the newly signed Electoral Act.

He said the Presidential and National Assembly elections would now hold on February 25, 2023, while governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections would hold on March 11, 2023.

The elections were initially slated to hold on February 18, 2023 and March 4, 2023 respectively.

The INEC chairman said: “This is historic being the fourth time since the restoration of democracy in Nigeria in May 1999 that the Electoral Act was repealed and re-enacted. The 1998 – 1999 elections were administered by transitional decrees until the 2001 Electoral Act was passed into law.

“Then, the Act was repealed and re-enacted as the Electoral Act 2002 which was in turn repealed and re-enacted in 2006, 2010 and now we have the 2022 Electoral Act.

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“By that decision, Presidential and National Assembly elections shall hold on the third Saturday of the month of February of each General Election year, while Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections shall follow two weeks later.

“Consequently, the 2023 General Election was scheduled to commence on February 18, 2023 with the Presidential and National Assembly elections, followed by the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections on the 4th of March 2023.

“However, the Commission could not release the detailed Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election, as it normally would, because of the pending enactment of the Electoral Act 2022. The Bill has now been signed into law.

“With the coming into force of the Electoral Act 2022, the Commission will work assiduously to conclude and publish new Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections that are consistent with the Act.

“These Regulations and Guidelines, as well as Manuals issued by the Commission, are all part of the legal regulatory framework for elections. Their timely publication will enable all stakeholders in the electoral process to become conversant with their provisions as they prepare for the 2023 General Election.”

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