The Nigerian Senate has passed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2026, but rejected proposals that would have made electronic transmission of election results compulsory and allowed electronically generated voter identification.
The bill was approved on Wednesday after senators considered and adopted all 155 clauses, with several amendments.
Electronic Transmission Rejected
During plenary, lawmakers voted down a proposed Clause 60(5), which sought to compel presiding officers to electronically transmit polling unit results in real time to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal after completing Form EC8A.
Instead, the Senate retained the framework in the Electoral Act 2022, which emphasizes manual completion, signing, stamping, and distribution of results at polling units. Under the retained provision, results will continue to be announced at polling units and transmitted in a manner determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), without making electronic transmission mandatory.
PVC Requirement Maintained
Senators also rejected Clause 47, which proposed the use of electronically generated voter identification, such as downloadable voter cards embedded with QR codes.
As a result, the requirement for voters to present a physical Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) remains unchanged. However, the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) or other INEC-approved devices for voter verification was upheld.
Election Notice Timeline Reduced
In a major amendment, the Senate approved a reduction in the timeline for INEC to publish a notice of election, cutting it from 360 days to 180 days before polling day.
The amendment followed a motion moved by Senator Tahir Monguno, who argued that the existing 360-day requirement was impractical and could hinder preparations for upcoming general elections.
According to Monguno, the shorter timeline would help INEC meet statutory deadlines more effectively, especially as preparations for the next general election cycle intensify.