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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has shifted the date of the 2023 Presidential election from February 18, to February 25, 2023, following the late signing of the Electoral Act by President Muhammadu Buhari.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this at a news conference in Abuja, on Saturday.
He said the Presidential and National Assembly elections will now hold on Saturday, February 25, 2023, while governorship and houses of assembly elections will hold on March 11, 2023.
Yakubu 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 electoral guidelines will also be published in due course.
The new electoral 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.
Buhari, however, signed it on February 25, 2022.