President Bola Tinubu has assented to the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment), signing it into law just days after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) unveiled the timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The President appended his signature to the amended legislation at the State House, Abuja, at approximately on Wednesday, in the presence of principal officers of the National Assembly.
The amendment followed the passage of the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) Bill by the National Assembly on Tuesday.
The revised law comes against the backdrop of sustained public debate surrounding the electronic transmission of election results. The issue has generated widespread interest, particularly over whether results from polling units should be transmitted in real time.
Last week, demonstrators gathered at the National Assembly complex, where civil society groups and opposition figures urged lawmakers to make live transmission of results from polling units to INEC’s central server mandatory.
They maintained that real-time electronic transmission would curb manipulation, enhance transparency and strengthen public trust in the electoral system.
However, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and other stakeholders have expressed reservations about the practicality of nationwide live transmission, citing technical and infrastructural limitations, especially in areas with poor telecommunications coverage. They have instead advocated a phased or hybrid model that would permit manual collation in instances where electronic systems encounter challenges.
