By Ahmed Dorcas
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially set the dates for the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States for Saturday, June 20, 2026, and Saturday, August 8, 2026, respectively.
The INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, made this announcement on Friday during the swearing-in ceremony of six newly appointed resident electoral commissioners (RECs).
Yakubu stated that the commission is obligated to publish the notices for major elections not later than 360 days before the date fixed for the election, according to the requirements of the law.
“For Ekiti State, the election will be held on Saturday, June 20th, 2026. However, party primaries will start on 20th October 2025 and end on 10th November 2025 to enable Political Parties to upload their nomination forms to the dedicated portal which automatically shuts down by 6.00pm on 22nd December 2025 i.e. not later than 180 days before the election,” he said.
“The final list of candidates will be published on 18th January 2026 while the campaign in public by political parties will commence on 21st January 2026 and end 24 hours before election day.
“Party primaries will start on 24th November 2025 and end on 15th December 2025. The portal for the upload of nomination forms by Political Parties closes at 6.00pm on 9th February 2026 i.e. not later than 180 days before the election.
”The detailed Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the Ekiti and Osun State governorship elections have been uploaded to our website and social media platforms for the guidance of political parties and public information.”
Yakubu also said the commission is aware of the concerns expressed by many Nigerians about the pending bye-elections and the resumption of continuous voter registration (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 State. We want to assure Nigerians that we are finalising our preparations for both activities, the details of which will soon be made public,” he added.
