Election Day

What to bring, when to go, and what happens at the polling unit.

2027 election dates

Saturday 16 January 2027Presidential and National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives)
Saturday 6 February 2027Governorship and State Houses of Assembly

From INEC's revised timetable for the 2027 general election. INEC can change dates; check its announcements.

Find your polling unit See your ballot Results as INEC declares

At the polling unit

Bring your PVCNo PVC, no vote. Your card is checked and your fingerprint or face is verified on INEC's BVAS machine before you get a ballot.
Go to your own polling unitYou can only vote at the polling unit on your voter record; it is printed on your PVC.
Polls open 8:30am and close 2:30pmIf you are on the queue by 2:30pm, you will be allowed to vote. Arrive early; queues are longest late in the morning.
Phones stay out of the cubicleYou may bring a phone to the polling unit, but phones and cameras are not allowed in the voting cubicle, and you must not photograph anyone's ballot.
Your vote is secretDo not show your marked ballot to anyone. Selling or buying votes is a crime, and so is taking anything in exchange for your vote.
Help if you need itVoters with a disability can bring a person of their choice to help them in the cubicle. INEC provides braille ballot guides and magnifying glasses, and the elderly, pregnant women and voters with disabilities may be given priority on the queue.

After the polls close

Votes are counted at each polling unit in public, and INEC uploads a photo of each unit's result sheet to its results viewing portal (IReV). Results are then added up at ward, LGA and state collation centres. VotersDesk shows each result INEC declares, with its source. We do not publish projections or party claims.

At the polling unit

Bring your PVCNo PVC, no vote. Your card is checked and your fingerprint or face is verified on INEC's BVAS machine before you get a ballot.

Go to your own polling unitYou can only vote at the polling unit on your voter record; it is printed on your PVC.

Polls open 8:30am and close 2:30pmIf you are on the queue by 2:30pm, you will be allowed to vote. Arrive early; queues are longest late in the morning.

Phones stay out of the cubicleYou may bring a phone to the polling unit, but phones and cameras are not allowed in the voting cubicle, and you must not photograph anyone's ballot.

Your vote is secretDo not show your marked ballot to anyone. Selling or buying votes is a crime, and so is taking anything in exchange for your vote.

Help if you need itVoters with a disability can bring a person of their choice to help them in the cubicle. INEC provides braille ballot guides and magnifying glasses, and the elderly, pregnant women and voters with disabilities may be given priority on the queue.

After the polls close