The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has cautioned the National Assembly against its proposal to move the 2027 general elections to November 2026, warning that such a shift could destabilise governance and trap the nation in “permanent campaign mode.”
Gatekeepers News reports that the opposition party was reacting to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2025, which seeks to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct presidential and governorship elections before 2027. Lawmakers have argued that the adjustment would allow all election petitions to be concluded before the May 29, 2027 handover date.
However, in a statement on Tuesday, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, said the proposal, though well-intentioned, “would create more problems for Nigeria’s democracy than it seeks to solve.”
Abdullahi warned that bringing the election date forward by six months would push the country into “permanent campaign mode,” reducing time for effective governance and derailing national development plans.
“Elections happening in November 2026 mean campaigns will begin as early as 2025,” Abdullahi said.
“That leaves barely two years of real governance before political noise takes over. The president, ministers, governors, and other public officials will shift focus from performance to positioning. Policies will stall, projects will be abandoned, and governance will grind to a halt.”
The ADC spokesperson added that even under the current electoral timetable, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had demonstrated how “obsession with power undermines service delivery.”
He argued that the solution to prolonged election disputes lies not in shortening electoral cycles but in strengthening the judiciary and electoral institutions.
“If the goal is to ensure that petitions are concluded before inaugurations, the solution lies in enforcing strict tribunal timelines, reforming electoral laws, and improving institutional capacity,” he said.
Citing Kenya, Indonesia, Ghana, and South Africa as examples, Abdullahi noted that these countries maintain fixed election cycles while ensuring prompt resolution of disputes through judicial efficiency.
“The amendment we need is the one that ensures timely electoral justice through institutional efficiency, not one that alters the election calendar to accommodate inefficiency,” he added.
He warned that shifting election dates without addressing structural weaknesses would only worsen Nigeria’s governance deficit.
“The people of Nigeria are not just voters; they are citizens who expect good governance as dividends of democracy,” Abdullahi said.
“Nigeria cannot afford a system that allows government to campaign for two years and govern for two.”
The ADC urged lawmakers to drop the proposed amendment and instead focus on comprehensive electoral reforms that ensure credible elections and swift resolution of disputes without disrupting governance.
