A coalition of leading civil society organisations has urged the National Assembly to FastTrack and conclude work on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and transmit the final version to the President for signing within two weeks.
Raising the alarm over what it described as “dangerous gaps” in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act, the coalition warned that any attempt to weaken electronic transmission of results, compress electoral timelines or restrict voter access to Permanent Voter Cards could severely undermine the credibility of future elections.
The CSOs which include Yiaga Africa, the International Press Centre, the Centre for Media and Society and the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, urged the National Assembly to urgently prioritise the public interest by passing clear, unambiguous provisions that guarantee real-time electronic transmission of election results.
They also called on the National Assembly conference committee on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill to adopt the House of Representatives’ version which mandates the electronic transmission of election results ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The CSOs insisted that electronic transmission of results must be mandatory and technology-neutral, warning that vague provisions could open fresh loopholes for electoral manipulation.
Addressing journalists on Monday in Abuja, Chairman of the Albino Foundation, Jake Epelle, who spoke on behalf of the CSOs, criticised the Senate for removing the proposed 10-year ban for offences related to the buying and selling of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs).
Epelle warned that the disagreement between the Senate and the House of Representatives over key amendments could have serious consequences for the integrity of the 2027 general election.
He said, “We reiterate our recommendation that the National Assembly should expeditiously conclude the amendment process and transmit the final bill to the President within two weeks.”
According to him, the delay in concluding the amendment process has introduced legal uncertainty capable of compromising preparations for the 2027 polls.
Epelle explained that Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 empowers the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue notice of elections 360 days before the election date.
He lamented that the uncertainty created by ongoing amendments had apparently discouraged INEC from releasing the timetable for the 2027 elections, thereby placing the commission at risk of violating existing law.
The CSOs, however, maintained that the Electoral Act 2022 remains valid until amended and insisted that the status of the amendment bill does not suspend INEC’s statutory responsibilities.
The CSOs called on INEC to immediately release the election timetable and schedule for the 2027 general elections in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.
On electronic transmission of results, the CSOs stated, “With respect to the provision on electronic transmission of results. We strongly recommend that the committee adopts the House of Representatives’ position mandating electronic transmission, with a Modification addressing technological specificity.”
They cautioned against tying the law to specific technology platforms, noting that, “As currently drafted, explicit reference to the INEC Result Viewing (iReV) portal creates potential rigidity. Since electoral technology evolves, statutory references to specific platforms require legislative amendment each time technological infrastructure changes.
“This approach aligns with the existing Electoral Act provisions regarding the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which permits ‘BVAS or any other technological device’ for accreditation, establishing a precedent for technology-neutral legal frameworks that combine mandatory obligations with implementation flexibility.”
The CSOs further proposed an amendment to Clause 60(3), stating, “We hereby proposed the following modification to Clause 60(3); The designated election official shall electronically transmit all election results in real time, including the number of accredited voters, directly from the polling units and collation centres to a public portal and the transmitted result shall be used to verify any other result before it is collated.”
Clarifying the meaning of real-time transmission, the groups said, “For the avoidance of doubt, we provide clarity on the concept of ‘realtime’.”
They explained that real-time transmission entails uploading polling unit results immediately after counting and public announcement, in the presence of party agents, observers and voters, before physical movement of result sheets for collation.
Also speaking, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, warned that failure by the Senate to align with the House position would amount to a betrayal of public trust.
“If the Senate does not adopt the position of the House, the Senate would have betrayed the trust of Nigerians. If they refuse, what they would be telling Nigerians is that the legitimacy of the 2027 elections is thrown into jeopardy.
“It serves everyone’s interest whether it is the ruling party or the opposition party. It boosts the legitimacy of the party who wins the election at the end of the day.”
While urging the conference committee to adopt the House version approving downloadable missing and unissued PVCs, the CSOs said INEC data from the 2023 general elections showed that about 6.2 million registered voters failed to collect their PVCs, resulting in widespread disenfranchisement, as they insisted downloadable PVCs would remove barriers to voter participation.
On electoral timelines, the CSOs recommended maintaining the existing provisions of the Electoral Act saying, “Regarding electoral timelines, we strongly recommend retaining current provisions: 360 days for notice of elections, 180 days for submission of candidate lists, and 150 days for publication of nominations by INEC.”