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The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened mass action and a possible boycott of elections if real-time electronic transmission of results is not included in the amendment of the Electoral Act 2022.
The threat was contained in a statement on Sunday by the NLC president, Joe Ajaero, following the Senate’s rejection of the proposal for mandatory real-time transmission of election results.
“The Nigerian people deserve a transparent electoral process where their votes are not only counted but seen to be counted,” Ajaero said.
On February 4, the Senate rejected the proposal during consideration of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and retained the existing provision in the Electoral Act 2022, which allows electronic transmission of results but does not make it mandatory or real-time.
Reacting to the decision, Ajaero said the Labour Congress was bothered by the “confusion and contradictory narratives emerging from the Senate” over the amendment process.
“We urge the Senate to provide an immediate, official, and unambiguous account of its proceedings and final decisions,” Ajaero added.
According to him, public records show that “the proposed amendment to mandate INEC to transmit results electronically in real-time was not adopted, with the existing discretionary provision retained.”
He added that the situation has generated “nationwide apprehension, and subsequent explanations” have only added to the confusion.
“At a critical juncture following the 2023 elections, such legislative ambiguity risks institutionalising doubt at the heart of our electoral integrity and echoes past controversies that have caused national distress,” Ajaero warned.
“Therefore, the NLC demands immediate clarity and transparency. The Senate must issue a definitive statement on the exact provisions passed, clarifying the final wording and rationale.
“The National Assembly leadership must also ensure the harmonisation process produces a final bill with crystal-clear provisions; any ambiguity in the transmission and collation of results is a disservice to our democracy.”
The NLC president said the amended law must clearly compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit and collate results electronically in real time from polling units.
“We call on the Senate to restore legislative credibility by ensuring its processes are transparent and its outcomes clear.
“The amended Act must provide an unambiguous mandate for INEC to electronically transmit and collate results from polling units in real-time. The path to the 2027 elections must be built on certainty, not confusion.
“Nigerian workers and citizens are watching closely. The NLC is working within its networks to advocate for clarity and integrity. We will not stand by while the trusts of Nigerians are betrayed again and the clarity of our electoral laws compromised.
“Failure to add electronic transmission real-time will lead to mass action before, during and after the election or total boycott of the Election. Our nation must choose the path of clarity and integrity. We need to avoid the same confusion that trailed the new Tax Acts.”
