The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections for June 20 and August 8 2026, respectively.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, announced this at the swearing-in and deployment of six new Resident Electoral Commissioners at its headquarters on Friday in Abuja.
He said the timetable and schedule of activities for the two elections were approved by the commission in compliance with the law.
Yakubu said that in line with the requirements of the law, INEC was under a legal obligation to publish the notices for major elections not later than 360 days before the date fixed.
He said that while the last governorship elections in the states were held in June and July 2022, the four-year tenure of the two governors would end in 2026.
Yakubu said that for Ekiti, the election would hold on Saturday, June 20 2026, while party primaries would start on Oct. 20 and end on Nov. 10.
This, according to him, is to enable political parties upload their nomination forms to the dedicated portal, which automatically shuts down by 6.00pm on Dec. 22 , which is not later than 180 days before the election.
“The final list of candidates will be published on Jan. 18, 2026 while campaign in public by political parties will commence on Jan. 21, and end 24 hours to the election day.
“In the case of Osun, the election will be held on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026.
“Party primaries will start from Nov. 24 and end on Dec. 15. The portal for the upload of nomination forms by political parties closes at 6.00pm on Feb. 9, 2026, not later than 180 days before the election.
“The final list of candidates will be published on March 9, 2026 while campaign in public by political parties will commence on March 11, 2026 and end 24 hours to election day,” he said.
Yakubu said the detailed timetable and schedule of activities for the two elections had been uploaded to the INEC website and social media platforms for the guidance of political parties and public information.
He also assured Nigerians of INEC’s readiness to conduct pending bye-elections and resumption of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) nationwide.
“The commission is aware of the concerns expressed by many Nigerians about pending bye-elections and the resumption of the CVR nationwide.
“The number of bye-elections has now risen to 17.
“We are aware of the urgency to commence the CVR, particularly in view of the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra.
“We want to assure Nigerians that we are finalising our preparations for both activities, the details of which will soon be made public,” Yakubu said.
