Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Nigeria’s National Assembly is currently in an active legislative phase concerning major amendments to the Electoral Act 2022, focusing on provisions that could significantly alter the conduct of elections ahead of the 2027 general polls. The core of the debate centres on mandating real‑time electronic transmission of election results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and increasing penalties for electoral offences such as vote trading and illicit handling of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
At a plenary session in Abuja, the Senate prepared to review, clause by clause, the report of its Committee on Electoral Matters. The proposed reforms would require that results from every polling unit be electronically transmitted to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) immediately after counting, with this process running in parallel with traditional physical collation. A new subsection inserted into the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025 explicitly states that INEC “shall electronically transmit election results from each polling unit to the IReV portal in real time,” aimed at reducing opportunities for manipulation and enhancing transparency.
Complementing the real‑time transmission mandate is a suite of additional changes aimed at reinforcing electoral integrity. Among these, amendments to Section 77 would make it an offence for presiding officers to fail to sign and stamp ballot papers and the results announced at polling units before transmission. Sections 47(2) and (3) of the Act are set to replace references to the outdated “smart card reader” with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), formally codifying BVAS as the legally approved accreditation tool widely used in Nigeria’s elections.
Lawmakers are also addressing long‑standing concerns about the protection of vulnerable voters by changing Section 54(1) to bar party agents, candidates or officials from accompanying visually impaired or incapacitated voters into voting cubicles – a move intended to safeguard the secrecy of such ballots.
In addition to these procedural reforms, the committee has proposed a substantial hike in fines for vote trading and PVC offences, increasing the penalty from N500,000 to N5 million under Section 22. The enhanced sanctions aim to deter systemic vote buying and unlawful handling of voter cards, practices critics say have persisted in past elections and eroded voter confidence in the process.
Senate leaders, including Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, urged colleagues to approach the amendments with care given the sensitive nature of the legislation and its potential impact on Nigeria’s democratic process. Before full debate on the floor, senators participated in a closed‑door session to exchange views and clarify technical aspects of the report.
While the House of Representatives passed its version of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill at third reading in December 2025, the Senate has taken a more deliberate approach. Debate on the report was temporarily suspended to allow deeper scrutiny, with plans to reconvene and continue detailed examination before advancing to a final vote. Lawmakers cited the far‑reaching implications of the proposed changes as the reason for this cautious stance.
The push for mandatory electronic transmission stems from unresolved issues around result communication during previous elections. Under the current law, INEC is permitted but not required to transmit results electronically, a gap that critics argue contributed to delays and disputes in the 2023 general elections. Proponents of the reform contend that legally binding transmission requirements will help ensure timely and transparent dissemination of results directly from polling units to the public via IReV, reducing the so‑called “black box” effect associated with manual collation at higher levels.
The legal recognition of BVAS in the amendments aligns statutory language with electoral practice and technological realities. According to INEC leadership, BVAS – coupled with the IReV platform – has substantially improved the credibility of accreditation and result upload processes. Senior electoral officials have repeatedly argued that digital tools are now integral to Nigeria’s electoral framework, enhancing verification and reducing incidents of multiple voting and identity fraud.
However, public discourse around the reforms underscores a broader context of electoral scepticism. Analysts, civic groups, and commentators have highlighted that gaps in the existing Electoral Act 2022 have historically undermined confidence in outcomes, prompting calls for comprehensive legal reform. These debates have included concerns about discretionary language in the law, weak enforcement mechanisms, and the need for stronger accountability measures across all stages of election administration.
If fully adopted by both chambers of the National Assembly and signed into law, the amendments would represent a significant overhaul of Nigeria’s electoral legal framework. By embedding real‑time electronic transmission, elevating technology into the legal core of the process, and imposing heavier penalties for malpractice, the National Assembly is responding to long‑standing demands for electoral credibility, particularly as the country approaches its next watershed polls in 2027.
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