SENATE PASSES ELECTORAL ACT AMENDMENT BILL 2026

SENATE PASSES ELECTORAL ACT AMENDMENT BILL 2026 BUT REJECTS REAL‑TIME RESULTS TRANSMISSION
The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday passed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026 after hours of clause‑by‑clause deliberations in Abuja, but lawmakers rejected a high‑profile proposal to make real‑time electronic transmission of election results mandatory.
Senators voted down an amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3 of the bill that would have required polling unit presiding officers to upload results in real time from each polling unit to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing (IReV) portal immediately after counting and signing result forms.
Instead, the Senate chose to retain the existing framework from the 2022 Electoral Act which allows electronic transmission of results but does not make real‑time upload compulsory, leaving the mode and timing of transmission to INEC’s operational discretion.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio dismissed claims that the chamber had abolished electronic transmission entirely, stressing that the practice remains permitted under the law and was previously used in the 2023 elections.
Rejected: Mandatory real‑time electronic transmission of results from polling units. Retained: Electronic transmission provision as in the 2022 Act, allowing INEC to determine how and when results are transmitted. The Senate reduced the election notice period from 360 days to 180 days before an election date.
Deadlines for submission of party candidate lists were cut from 120 to 90 days ahead of general elections.
Smart card readers were removed from the electoral framework.
The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was reaffirmed as the technology for voter accreditation and result recording.
The fine for unlawful possession or sale of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) was increased from ₦500,000 to ₦5 million.
A proposal to impose a 10‑year ban on vote‑buyers was rejected, though financial penalties were strengthened.
Supporters of rejecting the real‑time requirement argued that:
Network infrastructure limitations, especially in rural areas, could make compulsory real‑time uploads impractical.
Embedding rigid technical timelines into law could hinder flexibility for INEC when managing diverse logistical conditions nationwide.
Electronic transmission will still occur alongside physical documentation, ensuring verifiable Records for transparency and dispute resolution. Senate Committee spokesperson Senator Adeyemi Adaramodu described the disagreement as semantic clarifying that electronic transmission remains lawful and that the Senate’s decision was not meant to weaken electoral transparency.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) condemned the decision as “shameful and unfortunate,” arguing that compulsory real‑time transmission was essential for credible elections and stronger public confidence. Critics say the rejection represents a setback to electoral reforms, undermining efforts to curb result manipulation and ensure stronger transparency in the run‑up to the 2027 general elections. Senate leadership insists the chamber did not scrap electronic transmission, merely declined to enshrine mandatory real‑time uploads in statute. Akpabio stated that the review process remains open ahead of reconciliation with the House of Representatives’ version of the bill. The Senate and House of Representatives will harmonise their Electoral Act versions before forwarding a final draft to President Bola Tinubu for assent. INEC has been urged to finalise election timetables once the amended act is signed into law.