Just one day after the National Assembly passed it, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026 into law. This decision followed extensive debate and ongoing public concerns about certain parts of the legislation.

President Tinubu enacted the bill into law at approximately 5:00 pm on Wednesday at the State House. The signing ceremony was attended by several senior government officials, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, and Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila.

Speaking during the ceremony, the President acknowledged the back-and-forth surrounding the electoral reform, stating that the whole debate depicted the interests of relevant stakeholders in the country and further showed the commitment to national development and nation-building, essential for the stability of the nation.

The President commended lawmakers for passing the bill and encouraged Nigerians to trust the system.

Addressing the continuing discussions surrounding the transmission of election results, President Tinubu emphasised that citizens should first acknowledge the current progress in national technology before engaging in discourse regarding the implementation of real-time result transmission.

“It is not as important as the historical aspects of this. What is crucial is the fact that you manage the process to the extent that there will be no confusion, no disenfranchisement of Nigerians, and that we are all going to see democracy flourish.

“No matter how good the system is, it’s managed by the people, promoted by the people, and the result is finalised by the people.”

“In fact, for results, you are not going to be talking to the computer; you are going to be talking to human beings who will announce the final results.

“And when you look at the crux of various arguments, Nigerians should question our broadband capability. How technical are we today? How technical will we be tomorrow to answer the call in real time or not?

“And as long as you appear personally, as a manual voter in any polling booth, a ballot paper is given to you manually, you decide in a corner and thumbprint the passing of your choice, you cast your votes without hindrance and any interference, and ballots are subsequently counted manually, sorted, and counted manually.”

“It’s just the arithmetic accuracy that is to enter into Form EC8A. It’s the manual, essentially. The transmission of that manual result is what we’re looking at. And we need to avoid glitches. I’m glad you did – interference, unnecessary hacking in this age of computer inquisitiveness.

“Nigeria will be there. We will flourish. We will continue to nurture this democracy for the fulfilment of our dream for the prosperity and stability of our country,” the President said.

The electoral act has become a subject of controversy and debate in the public space, raising major disputes that centred around transparency around the real-time transmission of the election results and the adjustment of the 2027 election calendar.

The Senate had earlier passed amendments on February 4, 2026, senators made several changes related to election timelines, technology, and penalties, while keeping some existing rules intact. Among the key points, they refused to make the electronic transmission of results mandatory and also shortened the election notice period from 360 days to 180 days before election day.

The Senate also reduced the days for submission of the candidate lists from 180 days to 90 days before the general election, as well as the rejection of a proposed 10-year prison sentence for the buying and selling of PVCs. Instead, it retained the two-year imprisonment term and increased the fine from ₦2 million to ₦5 million.

While the House of Representatives had earlier approved mandatory real-time transmission of election results through the IREV portal under clause 60(c) of the Electoral Act amendment bill, the Senate approved electronic transmission with a caveat.

But the development caused public outrage and pressure from the relevant stakeholders who protested the decision of the lawmakers. Responding to the pressure, the Senate convened an emergency sitting to address the issues and to subsequently harmonise with the House of Representatives.

However, despite the public concerns, the National Assembly on Tuesday agreed to adopt the position of the Senate, which does not give a mandatory clause to the electoral act for real-time transmission.

During the sitting yesterday, the lawmakers revoked the action it had taken last week when it passed the bill, changing the 360-day notice period outlined in Clause 28 to make sure the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections do not take place during Ramadan.

The action followed Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele’s motion for rescission and recommittal, in which he cited the need to resolve basic inconsistencies and practical issues with the schedule for the general election in 2027.

Under Senate Rules Orders 1(b) and 52(6), Bamidele clarified that the emergency session’s main objective was to examine Clause 28 of the bill, which at the moment requires a 360-day notice for elections.

According to Order 52(6), “unless a substantive motion for rescission is made, it shall be out of order to attempt to reconsider any specific question upon which the Senate has come to a conclusion during the current session.”

Order 1(b) reads: “In all cases not provided for in this Standing Order, or by Sessional or other Orders or practice of the Senate, the Senate shall by Resolution regulate its procedure.”As the amended Electoral Act Amendment Bill was being considered clause by clause, the Senate made a decision that affected the amendment.

In order to give INEC the freedom to set election dates between December 2026 and January 2027, the Senate modified Clause 28 of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, reducing the notice of election requirement by 60 days, from 360 to 300 days.

The amended Clause 28 states that “The Commission shall, not later than 300 days before the date appointed for holding an election under this Bill, publish a notice in each State of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory stating the date of the election and appointing the place where nomination papers are to be delivered.”

“The notice shall be published in each constituency in respect of which an election is to be held. In the case of a by-election, the Commission shall, not later than 14 days before the date appointed for the election, publish a notice stating the date of the election.

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