Senator Victor Umeh has warned that a proviso in the newly signed Electoral Act 2026 could weaken its reforms. The amendment reinstates electronic transmission of election results but allows exceptions in cases of communication failure—a move Umeh says could open the door to disputes and undermine the integrity of future polls.
Speaking in a televised interview, the senator representing Anambra Central described President Bola Tinubu’s assent to the law as predictable.
“Anybody expecting the president not to assent to the bill is perhaps not being honest with themselves,” he said. “The process was always likely to end this way.”
Join our WhatsApp ChannelUmeh explained that the amendment primarily addresses controversies over electronic transmission, now captured in Section 63 of the law. He noted that the previous Electoral Act 2022 allowed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prescribe how results are transferred but did not mandate electronic transmission.
Disputes during the 2023 general election, including claims of glitches affecting the presidential poll, led to litigation that reached the Supreme Court. The court ruled that electronic transmission was not expressly recognised by law, though INEC could prescribe the method of result transfer. The amendment was intended to provide clear legal backing and prevent similar disputes.
The legislative process, Umeh said, was marked by debates within the National Assembly. While the Senate initially passed a version similar to the 2022 law, the House of Representatives adopted mandatory electronic transmission. Disagreements arose when the Senate replaced the mandatory clause with broader “transfer of results” language, prompting public protests and further revisions. The final law reinstated electronic transmission but included the controversial proviso allowing exceptions in case of communication failure.
Other features of the Electoral Act 2026 include mandatory use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, digital voter identification with QR codes, compulsory linkage of voter registration to National Identification Numbers, voting rights for inmates, and tougher penalties for electoral offences, including illegal trading of voter cards.
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The bill was passed on 17 February amid tense debates over whether electronic transmission should be compulsory or conditional. President Tinubu signed it into law the following day, citing concerns about broadband coverage, technical glitches, and cybersecurity risks, while stressing that election outcomes are ultimately determined by human officials.
Civil society groups and opposition figures had campaigned for real-time transmission to reduce manipulation, while some lawmakers argued that Nigeria’s infrastructure required retaining manual collation as a backup.
Prosper Okoye is a Correspondent and Research Writer at Prime Business Africa, a Nigerian journalist with experience in development reporting, public affairs, and policy-focused storytelling across Africa
