N’Assembly Rushes Amid Shifting Elections and Approaching Ramadan
By: Abudu Olalekan
Fresh off a break, the National Assembly has returned early. Without any heads-up, it was announced Sunday. Session resumes immediately. Politicians are hurrying toward Abuja from everywhere. Something urgent must be unfolding. Rumors say the 2027 presidential vote might shift. It sounds like just talk – yet somehow it doesn’t. The air around it feels heavy. Paperwork was approved by Clerk Kamoru Ogunlana. Not a whisper about what’s next – but silence often speaks loudest. Lawmakers return Tuesday, February 17, 2026. Clock hits eleven. Room fills fast. They’ll make choices labeled “very crucial.” Words like that? Usually mean storms ahead – or doors swinging wide open.
Something shifted, according to what we’ve uncovered at Reportersroom. Now it points to February 13 instead of the 20th in 2027. That gap looks narrow on paper. But timing ties into Ramadan this time. A sacred stretch for Muslim communities worldwide. Fasting lasts from dawn until dusk each day. Standing in queues under bright skies without drinking becomes grueling. Polls open when throats are driest. Voices rose fast – religious leaders spoke out clear and firm. Now even Atiku Abubakar posted on X. That timing lands right in Ramadan, he pointed out. Bashir Ahmad echoed the concern. Their message to INEC was clear: reconsider. Not fully. But a response came – INEC suggested lawmakers may have to step in. Which brings us to today. A special session called fast.
Still, that’s only part of it. A lot hides beneath the surface. Dates aren’t the core issue here – laws are. The changes stirred unrest. Anger spread fast. Getting results by email was their goal. Live updates straight from polling units. But the Senate blocked it. For now, anyway. Hand-counting stays as fallback. One senator stood up to clarify. Opeyemi Bamidele gave reasons grounded in numbers. Cold stats. Just under half the country can go online. Web speeds crawl. That puts Nigeria near the bottom worldwide – 129th spot. Picture that. Electricity fails too. Lights off for 85 million souls. What happens when you need to send updates instantly but there’s no power? When connections vanish, confusion takes over. “Decisions should follow evidence, never feelings,” said Bamidele. True enough. Still, those marching disagreed. Betrayed – that’s how they saw it.
Today, the Joint Conference Committee gathers. Monday kicks things off. Differences between Senate and House bills need smoothing out – fast. Time is tight, just seven days on the clock. Should they miss it, everything halts. Success means the proposal moves to President Bola Tinubu. After his approval, it turns into law. High pressure everywhere. What happens now shapes the 2027 vote. Trust might come into question. Involvement by all could hang in doubt.
A cloud hangs over the capital. Last year, the APC said no to voting on one day. Voting together was what the PDP pushed for. So did the Labour Party. All eyes turn now toward Tuesday’s full session. One senator let slip it might happen on Feb 13. People close to the National Assembly think so too. An unusual meeting is being planned, someone mentioned quietly. Its purpose – supporting INEC through laws. A second person familiar with talks agreed the date could stick. Provided nothing blocks it, they added. That’s a real possibility.
Electric vibes fill Abuja. Jittery tension lingers in pockets across the city. With plans shifting fast, lawmakers rethink their calendars. Some flights get scrapped altogether. Others cut visits short just to return sooner. Eyes of ordinary people stay fixed on what unfolds. Activists stand by, prepared and alert. Clarity matters most to them now. Equal treatment stands as a demand they repeat. That earlier idea – voting set for late 2026 – faded quietly. A few called it premature without warning. Friday the 13th might just be the middle ground. Steering clear of Ramadan’s busiest stretch helps. INEC would get breathing room to organize. Yet doubts linger – can they pull it off? That schedule pushes hard. Extremely hard.
Ahead of everyone else, security personnel and reporters get to cast ballots two weeks prior, thanks to provisions tucked inside the new unified legislation. Early access made it into law after back-and-forth talks. Still hanging in the air – whether results should stream instantly. Senators dug in their heels against live transmission. Their worry? Glitches might spark doubts, casting shadow over the entire process. Risk outweighs reward, they insist. Safety wins when doubt knocks. Grumbles fade, especially from those who love gadgets most.
Tuesday draws near, yet doubts linger. Could the opposition agree to the revised timeline? Might judges step in? Suppose the President declines to approve it? So much stays uncertain. Still, a single point stands out. A twist in the schedule has Parliament moving fast. Fixing the timeline becomes urgent now – delay risks everything. Trust in the 2027 election fades if nothing changes soon. Each ballot holds weight. Time slips faster every morning. Updates roll in steadily as events shift ground. Follow progress at bit.ly/NassPollShift. Scenes unfold without pause. Breath held across Nigeria. Hope flickers, thin but present. Plans shift toward survival, just in case. After all, surprises shape every political moment here. Always have. Always will.
