Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
ABUJA — Nigeria’s National Assembly has passed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re‑Enactment) Bill 2026 after a highly charged legislative process marked by intense debate over how election results should be transmitted and whether the electoral timetable needed adjustment ahead of the 2027 general elections. The Senate’s final decision on Wednesday reflects both legal and political complexities shaping the country’s electoral framework.
The upper chamber, presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, first rescinded its earlier passage of the bill to allow a fresh clause‑by‑clause review following objections from multiple stakeholders, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and civil society organisations. After deliberations, the Senate voted 55‑to‑15 to retain a provision in Clause 60 that permits both electronic and manual transmission of election results, cementing a compromise that has become the centrepiece of ongoing controversy.
Clause 60 governs how results from polling units are transmitted to collation centres. The version adopted by lawmakers now mandates that results may be electronically transmitted to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV) after the prescribed Form EC8A is signed, but if electronic transmission is not feasible due to network failure, the manually signed form remains the primary source for collation. Opposition members had called for mandatory real‑time electronic transmission to strengthen transparency and reduce opportunities for manipulation.
The Senate’s position sparked protests on the floor of both chambers. Minority lawmakers in the House of Representatives staged a walkout after attempts to revise the electronic transmission clause aligned the lower chamber with the Senate’s hybrid model, rejecting the version that would have required real‑time uploads. Critics described the compromise as weakening an important safeguard that civil society groups have long advocated to ensure credible elections.
Beyond transmission, lawmakers also addressed legal inconsistencies in the 2022 Act and adjusted key aspects of the electoral calendar. Among these changes was the reduction of the election notice period from 360 days to 300 days to prevent scheduling conflicts with Ramadan and other cultural touchpoints, as well as to allow INEC sufficient operational latitude in preparing for polls.
The amendment process was not without internal tensions. Members of the opposition and some civil society organisations have warned that the hybrid approach could create legal loopholes and potentially undermine confidence in the integrity of future polls. A coalition convened by several organisations emphasised that electronic transmission — especially using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and IReV — remains critical to transparency and public trust, and that giving primacy to manual forms when technology fails could weaken the reform’s intent.
Proponents within the National Assembly defended the compromise, arguing that Nigeria’s infrastructural limitations in certain regions make strict real‑time electronic transmission impractical ahead of the 2027 general elections. They noted that maintaining manual collation as a fallback ensures results can still be verified and publicly announced even in areas with unreliable network coverage.
Legal interpretation of these provisions is likely to shape how the law is applied on the ground. A 2026 judgment from the Supreme Court clarified that INEC’s IReV is not a collation system and that failure to upload to the portal does not invalidate announced results. That precedent, alongside the retained hybrid clause in the Electoral Act, highlights the nuanced balance lawmakers are striking between institutional discretion and procedural clarity.
INEC has previously completed its timetable for the 2027 elections, scheduling the presidential and National Assembly polls for February 20, 2027, and governorship and state assembly elections for March 6, 2027. Passage of the amended Electoral Act clears a major legislative hurdle that had delayed the publication and operationalisation of that timeline.
Other amendments include changes to party primary procedures and dispute resolution mechanisms, as well as clarifications on legal inconsistencies identified across multiple clauses of the bill. Senate leadership described these reforms as necessary refinements to address lessons learned from previous elections and improve the overall legal architecture governing Nigerian polls.
The bill will now move to a conference committee for reconciliation of differences between the Senate and House versions before transmission to the presidency for assent and eventual enactment. The committee, composed of lawmakers from both chambers and legal experts appointed by the Senate President, has been tasked with expediting consideration to ensure the amended law is in force well ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle.
The passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill marks a significant legislative milestone, reflecting both technological aspirations and political bargaining. As Nigeria prepares for one of its most consequential elections in recent history, the interpretation and implementation of these provisions will be closely watched by political parties, civil society, and international observers.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments