The Nigerian Senate has passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026 after a clause-by-clause consideration and third reading, approving most provisions while introducing key changes aimed at refining the country’s electoral framework.
In a significant decision amid ongoing debates over election transparency, the Senate rejected a proposed amendment to Clause 60 that would have mandated real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units directly to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
Instead, lawmakers opted to retain the existing provision in Clause 60 of the 2022 Electoral Act, which allows election results to be transmitted “in a manner as prescribed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”
The Senate, in passing the bill, also made amendments to a number of the clauses, with the majority of clauses retained as proposed. One of the amendments was the reduction of the timeline for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the notice of election from 360 days to 180 days.
Additionally, the Senate, in its clause-by-clause consideration of the bill, retained the permanent voter card (PVC) as the sole means of voter accreditation, rejecting electronic or alternative identification proposed in Clause 47.
The passage follows extensive deliberations, including a marathon session, as the National Assembly works to update electoral laws ahead of future general elections. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for concurrence before presidential assent.
This development has sparked discussions on the balance between technological advancements in elections and leaving operational flexibility to INEC, with some stakeholders viewing the retention of discretionary transmission as preserving institutional independence, while others express concerns over potential vulnerabilities in result management.
