President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed the Electoral Act 2026 into law, ushering in a fresh phase of electoral reforms and reviving nationwide arguments over the electronic transmission of results ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The legislation, which replaces the 2022 electoral law, was passed by the National Assembly earlier this week after months of debates and legislative reviews. Lawmakers said the new framework is designed to strengthen the country’s voting system and address concerns raised after previous polls.
Almost immediately after the president’s assent, attention shifted to the contentious issue of electronic transmission of results. Civil society groups and opposition parties have long demanded the mandatory, real-time upload of polling unit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s central server, saying it would improve transparency and curb manipulation.
The debate intensified last week when protesters gathered outside the National Assembly, calling for compulsory live transmission. Their concerns stem largely from the 2023 general elections, during which technical problems disrupted uploads to INEC’s results portal and triggered widespread public mistrust.
While leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress have expressed support for greater use of technology in elections, some stakeholders are urging caution. They argue that Nigeria’s uneven telecommunications coverage makes a full digital system risky, especially in remote areas, and have proposed a phased or hybrid model that retains manual collation where electronic systems fail.
With the new electoral law now in place, political actors, election managers and observers are turning their focus to preparations for 2027. The coming years are expected to test how Nigeria balances technological innovation with the logistical challenges of conducting elections across a vast and diverse landscape.
