Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Nigeria’s Senate has passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026 following the third reading, marking a significant step in the country’s ongoing electoral reform process ahead of the 2027 general elections. Lawmakers adopted several changes to election timelines, voter accreditation processes, and electoral offences, while rejecting a proposal to make real-time electronic transmission of election results compulsory.
During Wednesday’s plenary session, senators deliberated clause by clause on the amendment bill before voting on a range of contentious issues. One of the most debated sections was Clause 60, Subsection 3, which contained a proposed amendment that would have required presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to upload results from polling units directly to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal in real time immediately after completing, signing and stamping the official result form. This provision aimed to enhance transparency and reduce opportunities for result manipulation or delays in collation.
Ultimately, lawmakers rejected the real-time transmission proposal, electing instead to retain the existing language of the 2022 Electoral Act. Under the retained provision, results must still be transferred electronically, but the manner and timing of transmission are left to the discretion of INEC, rather than being mandated by law. This means that while electronic methods remain permissible, real-time uploads from polling units will not be a statutory requirement. Critics had argued that infrastructure challenges, such as inconsistent network coverage in some regions, could make a compulsory real-time system impractical. Reports indicate the Senate’s action was described by some as a rejection of mandatory real-time transmission, although Senate leaders have clarified that electronic transmission remains part of the law.
Beyond the transmission issue, the Senate approved several substantive amendments affecting the electoral timetable and processes. The notice of election period was reduced from 360 days to 180 days, shortening the window within which INEC must formally announce the election timetable. Similarly, the deadline for political parties to submit lists of candidates and their nomination documents was shortened from 180 days to 90 days prior to a general election, a change proponents say could streamline party preparations while critics caution it might compress internal party processes.
Lawmakers also addressed issues related to voter accreditation and identification. The Senate confirmed that the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) remains the only approved means of voter identification at polling units. It rejected proposals to introduce alternative forms of digital identification, emphasising that the PVC’s biometric data continues to be the standard. Meanwhile, the obsolete smart card reader technology was formally removed from the electoral framework and replaced with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which integrates fingerprint and facial recognition technology to verify voters at the point of accreditation.
On electoral offences, the Senate debated enhanced penalties for unlawful possession, sale, or transfer of Permanent Voter Cards. A proposal to impose a 10-year jail term for such offences was rejected, with lawmakers instead retaining the existing two-year imprisonment term while increasing the fine from ₦2 million to ₦5 million. This reflects a broader legislative approach of tightening penalties without radically overhauling sanctions.
Other amendments included retaining existing procedures for ballot paper inspection by political parties ahead of elections, and striking out certain clauses that had proven contentious in committee discussions, such as proposals related to evidentiary rules in election petitions.
Reactions to the Senate’s decisions have been mixed. Pro-reform groups and opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), criticised the rejection of the mandatory electronic transmission amendment, describing it as a setback for electoral transparency and public confidence. They argue that statutorily guaranteed real-time uploads would reduce opportunities for result alteration during collation and collation result reporting stages. The PDP characterised the Senate’s stance as disappointing and urged the National Assembly to reconsider the issue before final enactment.
Senate leadership, however, has moved to clarify misinterpretations, emphasising that electronic transmission as provided in the existing law has not been removed, and that the amendment retains the framework under which INEC conducted electronic result transmission in previous elections. The Senate President stressed that the chamber’s action was meant to preserve functional flexibility within the law while ensuring the amendment bill remained workable across Nigeria’s varied electoral terrain.
With the Senate’s passage complete, the amendment bill is expected to move to the House of Representatives for concurrence. Lawmakers in the lower chamber may consider further adjustments before harmonisation between both chambers and eventual transmission to the President for assent. Once signed into law, the revised Electoral Act would set the legal foundation for Nigeria’s 2027 general election cycle, shaping how votes are cast, accredited, and ultimately compiled into official results.
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