The Senate has passed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill following sustained pressure from the media and other stakeholders, but its decision to reject mandatory electronic transmission of election results has sparked fresh controversy ahead of the 2027 general elections.

After a third reading, lawmakers approved the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026 but voted against a proposal to amend Clause 60(3), which sought to compel the real-time electronic upload of polling unit results to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV). Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the chamber merely retained the existing provision of the 2022 Act, which allows INEC to determine the method of transmitting results.

Under the rejected proposal, presiding officers would have been required to electronically transmit results immediately after signing and endorsing Form EC8A. Instead, the Senate maintained a more flexible provision that leaves transmission procedures to INEC’s discretion.

Lawmakers also rejected a proposed 10-year jail term for trading Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), opting to keep a two-year prison sentence while raising the fine from ₦2 million to ₦5 million. Other key changes include shortening the notice of election period from 360 to 180 days and reducing the deadline for political parties to submit candidates’ lists from 180 to 90 days.
Advertisement
Caption

While BVAS was retained for accreditation, PVCs remain the only accepted voter identification. The bill must now be harmonised with the House of Representatives’ version before being sent to President Bola Tinubu for assent.

The decision has drawn sharp criticism from opposition figures and parties, who argue that rejecting real-time electronic transmission undermines transparency and favours incumbents.