The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has cautioned that the National Assembly’s proposal to move the 2027 general elections to November 2026 could disrupt effective governance and trap the country in an endless cycle of political campaigns.
The warning followed the introduction of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2025, which seeks to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct presidential and governorship elections six months before the official end of the current administration. Lawmakers have argued that the adjustment would allow sufficient time for all election petitions to be resolved before the May 29, 2027, handover date.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, described the proposal as “well-intentioned but potentially harmful,” saying that it would ultimately weaken Nigeria’s democratic process rather than strengthen it.
Abdullahi argued that bringing the elections forward would plunge the nation into what he called a “permanent campaign mode” and significantly reduce the time available for governance and developmental planning.
“Holding elections in November 2026 means campaigns will effectively begin in 2025,” Abdullahi stated. “That leaves barely two years of genuine governance before the political season begins. Public officials will shift their attention from service delivery to electoral strategy. Policies will stall, projects will be abandoned, and the machinery of government will slow down.”
He noted that even under the current electoral schedule, excessive political focus had already undermined effective administration, pointing to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as an example of how partisan interests can overshadow national development priorities.
According to Abdullahi, the real solution to Nigeria’s prolonged election disputes does not lie in changing the electoral calendar but in strengthening judicial and institutional capacity.
“If the goal is to ensure petitions are concluded before the inauguration of new leaders, then we should be talking about strict adherence to tribunal timelines, comprehensive judicial reforms, and stronger electoral institutions,” he explained.
The ADC spokesman urged lawmakers to draw lessons from countries such as Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, and Indonesia, where fixed election cycles coexist with timely and efficient judicial review processes.
“The kind of amendment Nigeria needs is one that guarantees timely electoral justice through institutional efficiency, not one that shifts election dates to accommodate administrative inefficiency,” Abdullahi stressed.
He warned that altering the election timetable without addressing systemic flaws would only deepen Nigeria’s governance challenges.
“Nigerians are not merely voters—they are citizens who deserve functional governance as a core dividend of democracy,” he said. “We cannot sustain a system that spends two years campaigning and only two years governing.”
The ADC therefore called on the National Assembly to withdraw the proposed amendment and instead channel its efforts into comprehensive electoral reforms that enhance institutional independence, ensure credible elections, and promote timely resolution of disputes without disrupting the rhythm of governance.
