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President Bola Tinubu has enacted the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) into law. The signing took place on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja at around 5:00 pm, with principal officers of the National Assembly present.
This comes days after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released the timetable for the 2027 general elections.Â
The National Assembly passed the bill on Tuesday after intense debate over the electronic transmission of election results.
Civil society groups and opposition figures have long advocated for real-time transmission of polling-unit results to INEC’s central server, arguing it would reduce manipulation and enhance the credibility of elections.Â
Earlier this week, protesters had disrupted the National Assembly complex, demanding live transmission, citing failures during the 2023 elections when INEC’s Results Viewing Portal collapsed, sparking widespread allegations of rigging.
While the ruling All Progressives Congress has expressed support for adopting technology in elections, some stakeholders argue that areas with weak telecommunications infrastructure require a phased or hybrid approach, allowing manual collation where electronic systems fail.
The 2027 general elections are scheduled for February 20 for the presidential and national assembly polls and March 6 for governorship and state houses of assembly elections.
