…The signing ceremony by Tinubu was held around 5:00 p.m. at the Presidential Villa in Abuja,
ABUJA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday assented to the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) Bill, only days after the Independent National Electoral Commission unveiled the timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The signing ceremony by Tinubu was held around 5:00 p.m. at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, in the presence of key leaders of the National Assembly, which had approved the bill a day earlier.
The revised law has once again stirred discussions about the electronic transmission of election results.
Civil society organisations and several opposition leaders have consistently advocated for the real-time upload of polling unit results to INEC’s central server, saying it would reduce manipulation and boost transparency.
Just last week, demonstrators stormed the National Assembly complex to press for live transmission, referencing controversies from the 2023 elections when INEC’s Results Viewing Portal malfunctioned, leading to widespread claims of electoral malpractice.
Although the ruling All Progressives Congress backs the use of technology in elections, some stakeholders insist that regions with weak telecom infrastructure may need a gradual or hybrid system that permits manual collation if electronic transmission fails.
The 2027 general elections are slated for February 20 for the Presidential and National Assembly polls, and March 6 for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.
