BREAKING: INEC unveils new dates for 2023 elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission has shifted the 2023 Presidential election from February 18 2023 to February 25, 2023, TopNaija.ng reports.

The Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who disclosed this at a news conference in Abuja today February 26, attributed the rescheduling of the election to the late signing of the Electoral Act by President Buhari.

Yakubu mentioned that the Presidential and National Assembly elections will now hold on Saturday, February 25, 2023, while governorship and state houses of assembly elections will hold on March 11, 2023.

He explained that the new date is to allow for conformity with the provisions of the Electoral laws which stipulates that elections notice be published at least 260 days to the elections

The INEC boss also said the electoral guidelines will also be published in due course.

The new Act states that INEC must publish the notice of election at least 360 days to the polls.

Several groups had called on the President to sign the bill before February 22, 2022, in order to ensure that INEC would not need to change the date in conformity with the Act. However, the President signed the Amended electoral act on Friday, February 25, 2022.

Read the full text of INEC chairman’s speech below:

The President of Nigeria is elected using a modified two-round system. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive a majority of the vote and over 25% of the vote in at least 24 of the 36 states. If no candidate passes this threshold, a second-round will be held between the top two candidates.[