LAGOS — The Senate on Wednesday passed the Electoral Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026 but rejected a reminder provision that would have made electronic transmission of election results mandatory, a decision that has sparked widespread criticism ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The bill was passed after a third reading following a marathon plenary session. Lawmakers voted against amending Clause 60(3) to compel presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit polling unit results electronically to the IReV portal in real time.
Instead, the Senate retained the 2022 Electoral Act provision, which allows results to be transmitted “in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.” Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the decision did not remove electronic transmission from the law, insisting the Senate merely maintained the existing framework.
“The Senate has not rejected electronic transmission of results. What we retained is the same provision used in the 2022 elections,” Akpabio said, dismissing reports suggesting otherwise.
During clause-by-clause consideration, the Senate also rejected a proposed 10-year jail term for buyers and sellers of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), opting to retain a two-year imprisonment term while increasing the fine from ₦2 million to ₦5 million.
Lawmakers further amended the electoral timetable, reducing the notice of election period from 360 days to 180 days and cutting the deadline for political parties to submit lists of candidates from 180 days to 90 days before elections.
The Senate retained the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) but rejected electronically generated voter identification, affirming the Permanent Voter Card as the sole means of voter identification at polling units. Clause 142, which sought to ease the burden of proof in election petitions, was also struck out.
The bill will now be harmonised with the House of Representatives’ version before being transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
Meanwhile, opposition parties and political figures condemned the Senate’s decision on electronic transmission. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described it as a setback for electoral reform and accused lawmakers of shielding incumbents. The Labour Party and Peoples Democratic Party also criticised the move, calling it retrogressive and harmful to electoral credibility.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, said the commission had finalised the 2027 election timetable based on the existing law but urged the National Assembly to expedite amendments. He also announced plans for a nationwide voter revalidation exercise to sanitise the voters register, stressing that “dead men do not vote.”
