INEC Clarifies on Rumours of Released Timetable for 2027 General Elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has firmly denied reports suggesting that it has released the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections, describing the claims as false and misleading.

In a statement issued on Friday night in Abuja, the Commission clarified that no official election timetable has been published for the 2027 polls. The statement was signed by the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola.

INEC explained that while it has not released any election timetable or schedule of activities, earlier publications by the Commission have outlined long-term projections for future elections. These projections were contained in a policy document titled Election Management in Nigeria, 2015–2025, which provided indicative election dates over a 40-year period but did not constitute an official timetable.

The Commission recalled that during the final phase of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s tenure as INEC Chairman, two publications were unveiled. The first detailed the Commission’s activities over the past decade, while the second focused on innovations in electoral technology introduced within the same period. INEC stressed that the dates referenced in those documents were projections and should not be misconstrued as an approved election schedule.

INEC further reiterated that it operates strictly within the framework of the law, noting that Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, mandates the Commission to publish a notice of election not later than 360 days before the date fixed for a general election. Any timetable circulated outside this statutory window, it said, could not have originated from the Commission.

Assuring Nigerians of its commitment to transparency and due process, INEC stated that the official timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections would be released in due course and communicated through its verified channels.

The Commission urged the public and the media to disregard unverified reports and rely solely on information disseminated via its official platforms for accurate and authoritative updates.