After weeks of pressure from media voices and civic groups, the Senate has passed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill. However, its decision around electronic transmission of results has triggered a wave of reactions from political parties, stakeholders, and former leaders ahead of the 2027 elections.
During clause-by-clause consideration, the Senate rejected a proposal that would have made real-time electronic transmission of results from polling units to INEC’s IReV portal mandatory. Instead, lawmakers retained the wording from the 2022 Electoral Act, which allows INEC to determine how results are transmitted, rather than making the process compulsory by law.
This move immediately drew criticism from several quarters, with many arguing that mandatory electronic transmission is crucial for transparency and credibility. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Labour Party, PDP figures, and APGA founder Chekwas Okorie all described the decision as a setback for electoral reform and a threat to public trust in the system.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio quickly pushed back against the criticism, insisting that the Senate did not remove electronic transmission from the law. According to him, the Senate simply retained the existing provision already used in 2022, warning against what he called misleading interpretations circulating on social media.
Beyond the controversy, the Senate also made key changes to other parts of the law. Lawmakers rejected a proposed 10-year jail term for trading PVCs, keeping it at two years but raising the fine to N5 million. They reduced the notice period for elections from 360 days to 180 days and shortened the deadline for parties to submit candidates’ lists from 180 days to 90 days.
The Senate also confirmed the use of BVAS for voter accreditation while retaining the Permanent Voter’s Card as the primary means of voter identification. A clause that would have allowed documentary evidence alone to prove electoral non-compliance in court was removed after debate.
Meanwhile, INEC said it has already finalised the timetable for the 2027 elections under the current law but is awaiting the final legal framework. The Commission also announced plans for a nationwide voter register clean-up and revalidation exercise, stressing that “dead men don’t vote” and promising to sanitise the database.
As the bill moves to harmonisation with the House of Representatives before presidential assent, the debate over electronic transmission has become a defining issue. For many Nigerians, the conversation has shifted from what the law says to how much trust the public can place in the electoral process heading into 2027.
