The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria has rejected suggestions to adjust the 2027 general election timetable because it overlaps with the Ramadan fasting period, cautioning that such a move could undermine Nigeria’s secular framework.
The National Secretary of the PFN, Bishop David Bakare, argued that altering election dates on religious grounds would raise fresh doubts about the country’s neutrality in matters of faith. He said repeated timetable changes tied to religious observances could open the door to constitutional challenges.
Bakare maintained that the growing debate gives the impression that religion is being accorded undue influence in public affairs.
“All the noise about the need to change the election date because it falls within the Lenten season and Ramadan further reinforces the fact that Nigeria has not only lost the status of a secular state, but we have also preferred one religion to another,” he said.
Drawing a comparison with the 2023 elections, which coincided with the Christian Lenten season, Bakare questioned why similar objections were not raised at the time.
“In 2023, we had an election that fell within the Lenten season, and there was no noise about it; there was no trouble about it. The election was held. Why is the 2027 case different because it falls within Ramadan?” he asked.
He criticised political leaders spearheading calls for adjustments, saying they should instead defend constitutional principles.
“Unfortunately, people we expect to lead us — politicians we expect to reinforce the strength of the constitution that guarantees a secular state — are at the forefront of the agitation against elections holding during religious activities. These are politicians who should be vanguards in upholding the constitutional provision that Nigeria is a secular state.
“Are we not a secular state? In other advanced democracies, you don’t even take a holiday because of elections. But in Nigeria, there is a holiday for everything,” Bakare said.
The PFN secretary stressed that elections are civic responsibilities rooted in citizens’ participation and should not be shaped by religious calendars. He urged political actors and members of the elite to uphold constitutional provisions, warning that unnecessary revisions to established timelines could disrupt the electoral process and erode public confidence.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission has said it will review the Electoral Act 2026 in order to comply with the law as regards schedules for the 2027 elections.
Dayo Oketola, the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, said the commission would release a “revised timetable”.
Oketola, who was not specific on the date for the release, insisted that INEC was committed to abiding by the laws of the land.
