President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday signed the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) Bill into law, just days just hours after it was controversially passed the House of Reps and Senate.
The signing took place at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, around 5:00 pm on Wednesday, with principal officers of the National Assembly in attendance.
The amendment reignites debates over the electronic transmission of election results.
The 2027 general elections are scheduled to hold on February 20 for Presidential and National Assembly elections and March 6 for Governorship & State Houses of Assembly Elections.
Majority of Nigerians, the civil society groups and some opposition figures have long pushed for real-time transmission of results from polling units to INEC’s central server, arguing it would curb manipulation and strengthen credibility.
Thousands of protesters had gathered at the front of the National Assembly complex to demand real-time transmission, citing failures during the 2023 elections when INEC’s Results Viewing Portal collapsed, triggering widespread allegations of rigging.
While the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) supports technology adoption, some stakeholders argue that areas with poor telecommunications infrastructure require a phased or hybrid approach, allowing manual collation where electronic systems fail.
Photo: @DOlusegun, X