Nigeria sets new date for presidential elections

LAGOS - Nigeria's electoral commission on Thursday announced that the country's next presidential election would take place on January 16, 2027, earlier than originally planned.

The elections were initially due on February 20, 2027. The date had been criticised by the Muslim community however as it coincided with the fasting month of Ramadan.

Parties will nominate their candidates between April 23 and May 30, 2026.

The last presidential election in 2023 brought to power Bola Tinubu, who will seek a second term at next year's ballot.

Tinubu was elected in the first round with approximately 36 percent of the vote, against Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.

The president last week approved a law that authorises the real-time electronic transmission of election results.

Post-election disputes are common in Africa's most populous country and, despite the deployment of new technologies by the electoral commission, the credibility of results is still regularly challenged.