BOTH Chambers of the National Assembly successfully passed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2026, concluding a dramatic legislative journey marked by a rescinded decision, a tense vote in the Senate, and a protest walkout by opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives.
The new bill, passed on Tuesday, February 17, 2027, by both chambers, introduces significant changes to the electoral timetable and retains a contentious provision allowing for the manual transmission of results as a backup to electronic uploads, a decision that has sharply divided the legislature and sparked a national debate on the integrity of future elections.
Senate Rescinds Earlier Decision, Adjusts Timetable for Ramadan
The legislative process took a sudden turn in the upper chamber when the Senate voted to rescind its previous passage of the bill to correct what it termed fundamental discrepancies.
The motion, moved by Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele (APC-Ekiti), was primarily driven by concerns that the original 360-day notice period for elections, as stipulated in Clause 28, would compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to schedule the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Sen. Bamidele argued that holding elections during the fasting period could adversely affect voter turnout, logistical coordination, and the overall inclusiveness of the process.
Following the motion, the Senate amended the clause, reducing the mandatory notice period from 360 to 300 days.
This adjustment is expected to move the election dates out of the Ramadan period, a move that aligns with concerns raised by various Islamic groups and stakeholders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Beyond the timetable, Bamidele cited the need for comprehensive technical corrections, revealing that a joint technical committee had identified discrepancies in over twenty clauses, affecting cross-referencing, serial numbering, and internal consistency.
This necessitated a clause-by-clause reconsideration of the bill by the Committee of the Whole.
Clause 60(3) Retained: The Battle Over Result Transmission
Despite the rescission, the most contentious aspect of the bill – Clause 60(3) on result transmission – was retained with its original proviso.
The clause mandates that presiding officers shall electronically transmit results from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) after Form EC8A has been signed and stamped.
However, the retained proviso states: “Provided that if electronic transmission fails due to communication failure, Form EC8A shall remain the primary source of collation and declaration of the result”.
This provision sparked immediate controversy on the Senate floor. During the clause-by-clause consideration, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA-Abia) raised a point of order calling for a division to vote specifically on the proviso. While Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin initially ruled him out of order, Senate Leader Bamidele intervened, affirming that Abaribe’s call was consistent with the motion for new legislative input, thereby saving the proceedings from what was degenerating into a shouting match.
The subsequent vote was a clear test of strength. The Senate voted 55 to 15 in favour of retaining the proviso. While the majority of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) senators supported the clause, they were joined by three lawmakers from minority parties.
In his remarks following the passage, Senate President Godswill Akpabio lauded the process as a display of democracy at work.
He commended both those who voted for and against the proviso, describing the decision as a safeguard for the electoral process.
“You showed overwhelming courage; you were able to prove democracy at work,” Akpabio said, addressing the dissenting voters. He also praised the innovation of electronic transmission, stating it would allow monitors to view results remotely.
Senate Clarifies: ‘This is Not E-Voting’
In the wake of public backlash, the Senate moved to clarify the implications of the new clause. Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Panel on the Review of the 2026 Electoral Bill, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire (SAN), explained that the amended law does not introduce electronic voting but merely provides for the electronic publication of manually collated results.
Adegbonmite stressed that INEC currently lacks the capacity for e-voting. He explained that the IReV portal is merely a platform to publicise results that have already been manually counted and declared at polling units.
He cautioned against the misconception that the clause undermines the transparency of the voting process, arguing that the manual count remains the bedrock of the election.
“When you talk about transmission, it has nothing to do with the sanctity of the voting process. If you are given ballot paper to thumb print, it is counted manually after the election. It is not IReV or BVAS that count ballots,” Adegbonmite stated.
Drama in the Green Chamber: Minority Caucus Walks Out
While the Senate’s proceedings were tense but orderly, the House of Representatives witnessed a more explosive reaction.
The House passed its harmonised version of the bill, but not before the Minority Caucus staged a dramatic walkout, chanting “APC ole” (Yoruba for ‘APC thieves’).
The protest was triggered by the House’s decision to align with the Senate’s version of Clause 60(3), which allows for the manual fallback.
The House had previously passed a version mandating real-time electronic transmission. However, during a closed-door session, efforts by APC lawmakers to revoke that position in favour of the more flexible Senate provision led to a breakdown of talks.
Leading the walkout, Minority Leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda (PDP-Rivers), held a press conference to denounce the move.
“We are against any clause that will give room for manipulation; we are in full support of electronic transmission,” Chinda stated emphatically, adding: “We are also saying that electronically transmitted results should take precedence over manual transmission.”
The caucus firmly rejected any provision that they believe creates a loophole for the manipulation of results.
The House spokesperson, Rep. Akin Rotimi, confirmed the passage of the bill but downplayed the division, describing the walkout as part of “the beauty of democracy.”
He insisted that the decision was for the progress of Nigeria and addressed the concerns of citizens by providing a backup should technology fail.
National Debate: Safeguard or Setback?
The passage of the bill may reignite the fierce national debate on the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process.
Civil society organisations and opposition figures have condemned the retained proviso as a significant setback.
According to reports, the Movement for Credible Elections (MCE) expressed “serious concern,” arguing that the amendment inadvertently reopens the door to electoral manipulation by making manual sheets the primary source in the event of alleged network failure.
They warned that in the Nigerian context, claims of “network failure” are easy to fabricate and difficult to verify in real-time.
Former governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Seriake Dickson (APC-Bayelsa West), broke ranks with his party to issue a stark warning.
Dickson urged the National Assembly Conference Committee to jettison the Senate version and fully adopt the House’s original stance, describing the Senate’s version as a “dangerous retreat from consensus” that would undermine the integrity of the electoral process.
Similarly, former World Bank Vice President, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili accused the Senate of planning a “coup against democracy,” insisting that Nigerians demand a bill that “legally mandates electronic transmission of polling unit results in real time” without any conditional attachments.
As the bill moves to President Bola Tinubu for assent, it arrives with a heavy political and public spotlight.
The 2027 general elections will now be contested under a legal framework that seeks to balance technological ambition with infrastructural limitations, a compromise that the ruling party lauds as pragmatic while majority of Nigerians fear is a precursor to manipulation.
