When TheNiche, an online newspaper, exclusively reported on February 13, that a few hours after announcing the 2027 elections timetable, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was set to tinker with the schedule due to pressure from some Muslim groups, many were incredulous.

Earlier that day, INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, after waiting endlessly for the National Assembly to pass the 2027 Electoral Act Amendment Bill and mindful of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and section 28(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, which mandate the Commission to publish the notice of election not later than 360 days before the date appointed for the election, announced that the 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on February 20, while the Governorship and State Assembly elections will hold on March 6, 2027.

But hardly had he finished when the brouhaha started. Some Muslim power blocs, frowning that the schedule overlaps with the holy month of Ramadan, kicked against INEC holding elections at a time when Muslims will be fasting from dawn (Suhoor) to sunset (Iftar), thereby forcing the Commission into a marathon meeting.

While INEC ostensibly bowed to the needless pressure, no immediate announcement could be made on new dates for obvious reasons. First, just as it happened this year, both the Ramadan and the Lenten season, a period of fasting, prayer and penance for Christians, fall at the same time in 2027. But while Ramadan lasts for 29 or 30 days, depending on the sighting of the new moon, Lent spans a period of 46 days starting from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, though technically, there are only 40 days of fast, as the six Sundays during the period are not counted. Because the lunar calendar is shorter than the Gregorian calendar, Ramadan begins 10 to 12 days earlier each year. But this year both seasons started on February 18. So, whereas Ramadan is expected to end around March 20 with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, Lenten will run its course on April 4.

Now, INEC cannot shift the election dates just because of Ramadan without taking cognizance of Lent because it will be unconscionable to appeal to Christians for understanding while appeasing Muslims since what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. So, if INEC would not conduct elections during Ramadan, then it should not do same during Lent.

If the holy periods fall the same time in 2027, it then means that the elections will not hold until April 11, 2027 which will be the first Saturday after Easter. Meanwhile, Sections 76(2), 116 (2), 132 (2) and 178 (2) of the 1999 Constitution clearly stipulates that elections to the offices of President, National Assembly, Governor, State Houses of Assembly shall hold not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days before the expiration of the term of office of` the last holder of that office.

Second, if INEC could not shift the polls beyond a certain time because of constitutional provisions, it can also not bring the dates forward because of the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, which mandates it to publish the notice of election not later than 360 days before the date appointed for the election, which was the main reason Amupitan could not wait for the passage of the Amendment Act Bill before announcing the dates for the 2027 polls. Hence, rather than making an outright pronouncement on the issue even when it had decided to tinker with the dates, INEC kicked the ball to the NASS court.

On Tuesday, February 17, the Senate amended Clause 28 of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, reducing the mandatory notice period for elections from 360 days to 300 days, thus granting the electoral umpire the leeway to reschedule the 2027 elections much earlier than the original dates.

The revised Clause 28 now requires that INEC “shall, not later than 300 days before the day appointed for holding of an election under this Bill, publish a notice in each State of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory – (a) stating the date of the election; and (b) appointing the place at which nomination papers are to be delivered.”

So, while the ball has been placed squarely, once again, back in INEC’s court, the Muslim groups that sharply criticised the dates earlier announced by Amupitan are already triumphant. And why shouldn’t they, having bent the national will to religious whims.

But make no mistake about it: this is not about inclusivity, religious sensitivity and voter participation in a multi-faith nation as they claim. This whole idea is retrogressive. Granted, Ramadan fasting is a physically and mentally demanding religious practice, but nothing stops a Muslim, or Christian, for that matter, from voting while fasting. After all, the life of an average Muslim does not come to a standstill because he is fasting nor does that of a Christian because for the perceptive faithful, it is a month of not only increased religious activities, but also charity and community services. What could be a more civic duty than exercising one’s franchise during elections?

To underscore the hypocrisy of the agitation, INEC has scheduled election in the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, on Saturday, February 21, 2026. That is three days after the commencement of Ramadan. Are there no Muslims in Abuja? Will they not be fasting? If they, why then should they vote?

In 2003, the Presidential and National Assembly elections were held on April 19 – Holy Saturday, a day after Good Friday, and a day to Easter – the three most important days in Christendom. Granted, the then President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, raised objection to the fixing of the presidential election on April 19, which was in the middle of the Christian Holy Week, but INEC pleaded for understanding, common sense prevailed and ultimately national interest trumped religious sentiments. But rather than emulate Sir Abel Guobadia, then INEC chairman, who explained why it was not necessary to jump off the cliff when Christian leaders prodded him, Amupitan would rather ask how high, when Muslim leaders ask him to leap.

On March 31, 2024, millions of voters in Turkey, a Muslim country, headed to the polls to elect mayors in local elections seen as crucial both for the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which has been in power since 2002, and the opposition. That was the month of Ramadan – the holiest month of the Islamic year when Muslims abstain from drinking, eating, smoking and sexual intimacy from sunrise to sunset for a whole month.

Writing in the March 28, 2024 edition of The Conversation UK, Ozan Aksoy, Associate Professor in Social Science at the University College London, UCL, said “the fact that Turkey’s local elections are taking place during Ramadan should help Islamist political parties gain ground, including Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party, AKP.” That is how it should be. So if fasting is not seen as a hindrance to elections in Turkey, why should it be in a country that claims to be secular?

Bending backwards at every turn to accommodate religious agitations that do not promote national interest is the reason why Nigeria continues to plumb the depths of despair. It is dangerous and stunts growth and national development. It is an infringement on the rights of people who are not adherents of the religion. For instance, on Tuesday, the Kano State Censorship Board directed the immediate shutdown of all entertainment-related activities across Kano State for the duration of Ramadan. The government claimed that the decision was taken to allow residents to observe the Ramadan fast and carry out their religious activities in a peaceful and undisturbed atmosphere.

What about those who are not Muslims? How will those who earn their livelihoods from those businesses survive within the period? Doesn’t that amount to recklessness and sheer impunity?

For a people that claim to be highly religious, the fasting period when people supposedly seek the face of God and atone for their sins would have been the best time to hold elections so that people with the fear of God, will play by the rules. Nigeria cannot claim to be a secular state when harebrained religiosity hallmarks every national policy.