The Senate has passed for second reading, a bill seeking to repeal the Electoral Act 2022 and enact a new Electoral Act 2025, alongside a proposal mandating the electronic transmission of election results ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Simon Lalong (APC, Plateau South), last, week led the debate on the bill which was later stepped down for further consideration.
Lalong said the amendment was necessary to correct the lapses witnessed in the 2023 polls and to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral process for credible future elections.
In a draft copy of the proposed amendment made available to journalists, the lawmakers seek to alter Section 60 (5) to make electronic transmission of results compulsory.
While the 2022 Act did not expressly mention electronic transmission, the proposed 2025 version stipulates that “the Presiding Officer shall transmit the results, including the total number of accredited voters, to the next level of collation both electronically and manually.”
The draft also seeks to amend the 2022 Electoral Act to include statutory delegates in political parties’ primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.
It further stipulates that elections into the offices of the president and governors must be conducted “not later than 185 days before the expiration of the term of office of the last holder of the office.”
The same timeline applies to elections into the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly, which must now be held “not later than 185 days before the date on which each of the Houses stands dissolved.”
If passed and assented to by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the next general elections would likely hold in November 2026, instead of February and March 2027.
The bill also provides that where a vacancy occurs in any of the legislative Houses more than 90 days before a general election, such a vacancy must be filled within 30 days of its occurrence.
The proposed amendment further seeks to align the new electoral calendar with constitutional changes to Sections 76, 116, 132, and 178, which now delegate election timelines to the Electoral Act rather than the Constitution.
Other key provisions include recognising voting rights for inmates and mandating the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register eligible prisoners; introducing digital voter identification through electronically generated voter cards with QR codes; and imposing stiffer penalties for electoral offences, including mandatory prison terms for falsifying results or obstructing election officials.
The bill also adds the National Identification Number (NIN) as part of the requirements for voter registration. It also introduces provisions for mandatory early voting.