Nigerian president Tinubu signs electoral law

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026 into law, marking the culmination of weeks of legislative deliberations, consultations, and public debate on proposed electoral reforms. 

Although the legislation contains about 154 clauses, Clause 60 — which makes the electronic transmission of results optional — generated the most controversy.

Initially, the House of Representatives passed a version of the bill in December mandating the electronic transmission of election results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission's (INEC) Result Viewing Portal immediately after vote counting.

However, the Senate rejected mandatory electronic transmission and retained the provision in the 2022 Electoral Act allowing results to be transmitted to collation centers without making electronic transmission compulsory.

On Tuesday, the Senate revised its position and resolved that electronic transmission would remain optional. The provision includes a caveat that, in the event of internet failure, Form EC8A will serve as the primary means of result collation.

Form EC8A is the primary document on which the presiding officer records results immediately after votes are counted at a polling unit. In election petitions, courts often rely heavily on EC8A forms because they represent the first official record of votes at the source.

Speaking shortly after assenting to the bill, President Tinubu commended lawmakers for what he described as a "rigorous and patriotic process," stressing that the reforms aim to safeguard democratic stability and prevent voter disenfranchisement.

"I followed keenly what you were doing. The essence of democracy is to have very solid brainstorming discussions committed to national development and nation-building and the stability of the nation," Tinubu said.

The president emphasized that while technology remains important, elections ultimately depend on human management and public trust.

According to Tinubu, manual voting and counting remain central to Nigeria's electoral system, with electronic transmission serving as a support mechanism rather than a replacement.

"And when you look at the crux of various arguments, maybe Nigerians should question our broadband capability. How technically sound are we today? How technically sound will we be tomorrow in answering the call, whether 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 fingerprint the person you choose. You cast your vote without hindrance or interference," Tinubu said.

A number of Nigerian civil society organizations have voiced serious concerns over the Senate-backed amendment to the Electoral Act, warning that it could weaken safeguards meant to protect the credibility of elections.

The signing of the electoral law now sets the pace for Nigeria's elections, coming after the INEC released the election timetable for the 2027 general elections.

With input from local media agencies.