Senate Passes Electoral Act Amendment Bill

..Rejects Electronic Transmission Of Results

THE Senate has passed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal & Enactment) Bill, 2026, following the approval of 155 of its clauses.

While most provisions were retained in their original form, several amendments were introduced to improve the efficiency of Nigeria’s electoral process.

A key change is the reduction of the timeframe for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue the notice of election, which has been shortened from 360 days to 180 days.

The move is aimed at enabling the commission to act more promptly in the lead-up to elections.

The adjustment followed a motion by Senator Tahir Monguno, who explained the need for a shorter timeline.

He said, “The adjustment is necessary to enable INEC meet the requirements for the publication of the notice.”

He added, “It would already be late if the 360 days were taken into consideration regarding the next general election.”

With this amendment, INEC will now have a more manageable window to release the election notice, helping to ensure adequate preparation and a smoother conduct of the 2027 polls.

In a related development, the Senate rejected a proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the Electoral Amendment Bill, which sought to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory.

Under the rejected amendment, presiding officers would have been required to upload polling unit results electronically to the IREV portal in real time, once Form EC&A had been signed, stamped, and countersigned by party agents.

VAM also recalls that this decision comes shortly before INEC reaffirmed its readiness for the 2027 general elections.

Despite delays surrounding the passage of the amended Electoral Act, the Commission said it has concluded work on the election timetable and schedule of activities and is now awaiting legislative action on the proposed amendments.

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INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja during an engagement with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), emphasizing the commission’s preparedness to conduct credible elections in 2027.