President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) Bill into law, days after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) unveiled the timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The signing ceremony took place on Wednesday at about 5:00 p.m. at the State House, Abuja, in the presence of principal officers of the National Assembly.
The National Assembly had on Tuesday passed the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) Bill, paving the way for presidential assent.
The latest amendment follows intense public debate over the electronic transmission of election results in real time, a contentious issue that has generated nationwide discussions among political stakeholders and civil society groups.
Read Also:
INEC Sets Dates for 2027 Presidential, Governorship Elections
Last week, protests erupted at the National Assembly complex as civil society organisations and opposition figures urged lawmakers to mandate the live transmission of results directly from polling units to INEC’s central server.
The protesters maintained that real-time electronic transmission would minimise manipulation of results and strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.
However, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and some stakeholders expressed concerns over the technical feasibility of implementing live transmission nationwide, particularly in areas with poor telecommunications infrastructure. They advocated a phased or hybrid approach that would permit manual collation in instances where electronic systems encounter challenges.
The new amendment is expected to shape preparations for the 2027 general elections, as INEC and political actors begin aligning with the revised legal framework.