Senate Passes Electoral Bill 2026, Upholds Electronic Results Transmission

Jane Salihu

The Senate has passed the Electoral Bill 2026 following prolonged and detailed deliberations, introducing notable reforms to Nigeria’s electoral process while declining to adopt a provision that would mandate real-time electronic upload of election results.

Debate around the bill during a prolong plenary on Wednesday at the red chamber largely centred on Section 60, which outlines the procedure for transmitting results from polling units.

Lawmakers were divided between calls for immediate digital transparency and concerns about the country’s varying technological capacity and operational challenges.

At the height of deliberations, the Senate voted against a proposal that would have required presiding officers to upload polling unit results instantly to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IREV). The recommendation, put forward by the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, failed to secure majority support.

Instead, the chamber resolved to maintain the approach established under the Electoral Act 2022, which allows electronic transmission of results in line with guidelines issued by INEC after votes have been counted and publicly declared at the polling units.

Under the approved framework, results must be counted and recorded at each polling unit, announced openly to voters, and transmitted electronically to designated collation centres as prescribed by the Commission. Copies of the result sheets are also to be provided to party agents and security personnel present. Violations of the provision carry penalties of up to ₦500,000 in fines or a minimum custodial sentence of six months.

Several senators cautioned that enforcing real-time uploads could trigger avoidable disputes, particularly in areas with limited network coverage, thereby creating uncertainty and potentially undermining public trust in the electoral process.

Commenting on the outcome, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Adeyemi Adaramodu, said the disagreement was more about interpretation than substance, noting that electronic transmission remains a statutory requirement.

“Electronic transmission is still very much part of our electoral law,” Adaramodu said. “What the Senate has done is to ensure that results are transmitted electronically and backed by physical records for verification where necessary.”

Beyond result transmission, the Senate endorsed changes to key electoral timelines. The statutory notice period for elections was shortened from 360 days to 180 days, while deadlines for the submission of candidates’ lists and nominations by political parties were reduced to 90 days.

In tightening the legal framework against electoral misconduct, lawmakers approved an increase in the penalty for unlawful possession of Permanent Voter Cards, raising the fine from ₦500,000 to ₦5 million. However, a proposal to impose a 10-year prohibition on vote-buyers was rejected, with the Senate favouring enhanced monetary sanctions instead.

The bill also removed the smart card reader from the electoral system, formally designating the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) as the sole technology for voter accreditation. Additional provisions clarified that political parties are barred from replacing candidates disqualified after elections, with fresh polls to be conducted where required.

Presiding over the session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio dismissed suggestions that electronic transmission had been weakened, stressing that the Senate’s position was intended to reinforce the credibility of elections.

“Electronic transmission remains embedded in our laws,” Akpabio said, praising senators for the extensive scrutiny given to the bill.

He further announced the formation of a conference committee to reconcile differences between the Senate and House of Representatives versions of the legislation. The committee, chaired by Senator Simon Lalong, is expected to conclude its assignment within one month before the harmonised bill is forwarded to the President for assent.