House Committee Chair Pushes Bill to Shorten Election Litigation Timelines

Chairperson of the House of Representatives Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Adebayo Balogun, has announced that a bill seeking to reduce election litigation timelines has passed second reading in the House.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Balogun explained that the proposed legislation also seeks to transfer the authority to determine litigation timelines from the Constitution to the Electoral Act. According to him, this adjustment would enhance INEC’s efficiency and reduce legal uncertainties.

“What we are trying to do now is reduce the tribunal period to 90 days and the appeal period to 50 days, giving a total of 150 days. You then have 21 days for filing the petition and 14 days for filing the appeal. When you put all these together, we are looking at 185 days” he said.

Under the current framework, election petition tribunals have 180 days from the filing date to deliver judgment, with an additional 90 days allotted to the Court of Appeal — a combined total of 270 days. For governorship election petitions, which can proceed to three levels of adjudication, the Supreme Court has an extra 60 days from the date of filing to deliver judgment, bringing the maximum litigation period to 330 days, nearly a full year.

Balogun, who represents Ibeju-Lekki Federal Constituency of Lagos State, said the proposed 185-day limit is designed to ensure that all legal disputes are resolved before swearing-in ceremonies.

In April, INEC called for reforms to both the Electoral Act and the Constitution in preparation for the 2027 general elections. Balogun told newsmen in July that ongoing electoral reforms aim to expand political inclusion, strengthen internal democracy, and boost public confidence ahead of the polls. He also advocated for stricter timelines to discourage frivolous petitions.

The lawmaker further disclosed plans to integrate the National Identification Number (NIN) into the voter register to reduce dependence on the Permanent Voter Card (PVC). However, on Tuesday, he admitted that time constraints would make it impossible to get the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) fully on board before the 2027 elections.