How Nigerian Elections Work: From Campaigns to Results

Nigerian elections follow a structured process managed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Here's how the entire process works, from start to finish.

The Electoral Calendar

INEC publishes an election timetable months in advance. Key dates include:

• Notice of election (at least 360 days before)
• Party primaries and candidate nomination
• Campaign period opening
• Election day
• Run-off elections (if applicable)

Types of Elections

Nigeria conducts elections at multiple levels:

1. Presidential Election — Voters across all 36 states + FCT elect the President.
2. National Assembly — Voters elect Senators (3 per state + 1 for FCT = 109 total) and House of Representatives members (360 seats based on federal constituencies).
3. Governorship — Voters in each state elect their Governor.
4. State Assembly — Voters elect members of their State House of Assembly.
5. Local Government — Conducted by State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), not INEC.

Presidential and National Assembly elections are held on the same day. Governorship and State Assembly elections are held two weeks later.

How Results Are Determined

Presidential Election

A candidate must:

• Win the highest number of votes, AND
• Score at least 25% of the votes in at least two-thirds of all 36 states + FCT (i.e., at least 25 states).
• If no candidate meets both conditions, a run-off is held between the top two candidates.

Governorship Election

The candidate with the highest number of votes wins, provided they also score at least 25% in two-thirds of the Local Government Areas in that state.

National and State Assembly Elections

Simple first-past-the-post — the candidate with the most votes wins.

The Result Collation Process

Results move through several levels:

1. Polling Unit — Votes counted and results announced on the spot.
2. Ward Collation Centre — Results from all polling units in a ward are collated.
3. Local Government Collation Centre — Ward results are aggregated.
4. State Collation Centre — LGA results are collated.
5. National Collation Centre (for Presidential) — State results are brought together and the final result is declared.

At each level, party agents, observers, and media are allowed to be present.

Electronic Transmission

Since 2023, INEC uploads polling unit results electronically from BVAS devices to the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV), making results visible to the public in near real-time.