INEC Breaks Silence on Alleged Changes to 2027 Campaign Timetable

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed reports circulating on social media claiming that it had revised the campaign timetable for the 2027 general elections.

According to the commission, the viral graphic making the rounds online as fake.

The false graphic claimed that the electoral body had released a separate official campaign timetable in line with the Electoral Act, altering the dates for the end of political campaigns while retaining the previously announced election dates. According to the misleading post, campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections would now end on January 15, 2027, instead of January 14, while governorship and state House of Assembly campaigns would end on February 5, 2027, instead of February 4.

Although the viral graphic retained January 16, 2027, as the date for the presidential and National Assembly elections and February 6, 2027, for the governorship and state assembly polls, INEC said it had not made any changes to its official timetable.

Reacting to the reports on Wednesday, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola said that the commission had not issued any separate campaign timetable and urged Nigerians to disregard the circulating graphic.

“This graphic did not emanate from INEC. The commission does not issue campaign timetables separately,” Oketola told The Punch Newspaper.

He explained that all campaign timelines had already been captured in the commission’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections, which was released on February 26, 2026.

“All official campaign timelines are already contained within the revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general election, which was released on February 26, 2026,” he added.

Oketola also urged journalists and members of the public to rely only on information published through INEC’s official communication channels, warning against the growing spread of false electoral information as preparations for the 2027 elections continue.

“We advise the media and the public to always verify electoral information through our official channels. As we enter the election season, we must all remain vigilant against the spread of misinformation and disinformation,” he said.

Under the timetable released by INEC on February 26, 2026, the commission fixed January 16, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly elections, while governorship and state House of Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.

The timetable also provides that the notice of election was to be issued on February 13, 2026. Campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled to commence on August 19, 2026, while campaigns for governorship and state assembly elections will begin on September 9, 2026.

According to the official schedule, campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections will end on January 14, 2027, while campaigns for governorship and state House of Assembly elections will close on February 4, 2027, exactly 24 hours before the respective elections.

The clarification comes just weeks after the Court of Appeal in Abuja restored INEC’s revised timetable and guidelines for the 2027 general elections, clearing the way for the commission to continue preparations for the polls.

In a unanimous judgment delivered by a three-member panel on July 16, the appellate court set aside an earlier ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja that had invalidated parts of INEC’s timetable covering party primaries, candidate nominations and other pre-election activities.

The Court of Appeal held that the revised timetable constituted subsidiary legislation made pursuant to the Electoral Act 2026 and therefore had the force of law. It also ruled that INEC acted within its statutory powers in issuing the timetable, adding that “every deadline in the Revised Timetable for the 2027 general elections fell within the ambit of the Electoral Act.”

The appellate court’s decision overturned the earlier judgment of Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, who had ruled that INEC lacked the authority to prescribe timelines that shortened periods provided under the Electoral Act.

Following that judgment, INEC appealed, arguing that the suit brought by the Youth Party was merely hypothetical and that enforcing the lower court’s decision would seriously disrupt preparations for the 2027 elections.

The commission had warned in its appeal that, “If the judgment… is enforced or executed before the hearing and determination of the appeal, the entire electoral architecture and preparations for the 2027 general elections will be thrown into confusion.”