By : Faith Nkwoukwa, Okechukwu D. Okechukwu & Akachi Nwaogwugwu
Nigeria’s Senate has passed an amendment to the Electoral Act after more than five hours of intense debate and clause-by-clause consideration, introducing key changes to the country’s electoral framework ahead of the 2027 general elections.
One of the most contentious outcomes of the amendment is the rejection of a proposal to make electronic transmission of election results from polling units to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IREV) mandatory. Instead, lawmakers retained the provision in the 2022 Electoral Act that allows results to be transmitted to collation centres without explicitly requiring upload to IREV.
The bill, which had earlier passed smoothly in the House of Representatives, faced strong disagreements in the Senate. This led to the formation of an ad hoc committee chaired by Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire to harmonise disputed clauses. Several deliberations were held behind closed doors before the bill was eventually approved by a voice vote announced by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
On voter identification, the Senate rejected proposals to allow alternatives such as the National Identification Number (NIN), passport, or birth certificate. Lawmakers retained the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) as the sole valid identification for voting, while officially replacing smart card readers with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
To address electoral offences, the Senate amended penalties related to PVC abuse and vote buying. While a proposed 10-year jail term for buying or selling PVCs was rejected, the fine was increased from ₦2 million to ₦5 million, with the existing two-year prison term retained. Fines for vote-buying offences were also raised from ₦500,000 to ₦5 million.
In a significant change to post-election dispute resolution, lawmakers removed the power of election tribunals to declare winners outright. Under the amended law, where a candidate is found not to have been validly elected, a rerun election must be conducted, and the disqualified candidate and their political party will be barred from participating. This reverses the 2022 provision that allowed tribunals to declare the runner-up as winner in certain cases.
Other amendments include reducing INEC’s notice period for elections from 360 days to 180 days, and shortening the deadline for political parties to submit candidate lists from 120 days to 90 days before an election.
Responding to public criticism, Senate President Akpabio insisted that the Senate had not abolished electronic transmission of results, stressing that the existing provisions allowing it remain in the law.
The bill was passed shortly after INEC urged lawmakers to expedite the process to avoid disruptions to preparations for the 2027 elections. With both chambers of the National Assembly now aligned, the amended Electoral Act moves closer to becoming law.
