The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, explained the National Assembly cut the election notice period from 360 to 300 days.
Abbas spoke at the State House on Wednesday after President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Act 2026 into law.
He said the move would avoid elections during Ramadan.
“The reduction will allow the 2027 presidential and National Assembly polls to hold in January, preventing voter apathy caused by holding elections in the holy month,” Abbas said.
The Electoral Act 2026 followed heated debates in the House. Lawmakers clashed over a motion to rescind the passage of the amendment, which formalised real-time electronic result transmission.
Francis Waive, chairman of the House Rules Committee, moved the motion to reverse the bill passed on December 23, 2025.
Speaker Abbas called a voice vote.
Despite louder objections from “nays,” he ruled in favour of the “ayes,” prompting protests and forcing the House into an executive session.
The law now mandates that results from all polling units be transmitted electronically to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System result viewer (IReV), ensuring transparency in collation.
Abbas said the reforms demonstrate ingenuity by lawmakers, adapting the process to Nigeria’s social and religious realities while strengthening electoral integrity for 2027.
