Electoral Act 2026: Senate Passes Bill But Rejects Mandatory Electronic Results
By: Abudu Olalekan
The Nigerian Senate finally passes the Electoral Act 2026. See the controversial changes to election timelines, BVAS, and why they rejected mandatory IREV uploads.
It was a very long Tuesday at the Red Chamber. A lot of back and forth arguments. But finally, the Nigerian Senate got it done. They officially passed the third reading of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026. Everyone were waiting with bated breath to see what the lawmakers will actually change this time around. It turns out they tweaked a few timelines, upgraded some technologies, but held on tightly to old controversial rules they really didn’t want to let go.
Let’s talk about the biggest elephant in the room today. Clause 60. Electronic transmission of results. A lot of regular Nigerians was hoping that lawmakers will make it completely mandatory for presiding officers to upload polling unit results directly to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV) in real time. Right after the results are signed at the unit. But nope. They rejected that proposal outrightly. Instead, they kept the old ambiguous rule. Meaning the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) still has the final absolute say to determine exactly how results and accreditation data are transferred.
Then there is the big issue of voter accreditation under Clause 47. The Senate formally kicked out the use of “smart card readers.” Good riddance. BVAS is now the official king. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System is fully locked in by law. But here is the catch. The senators totally rejected the idea of using electronically generated voter identification. They insisted that the physical Permanent Voter Card (PVC) is still the only valid means of identification if you want to vote at any polling unit. No physical PVC, no vote. It is that simple.
They also touched the election timelines deeply. Time is money, right? Under Clause 28, the official notice of election period was severely chopped down. It moved from a massive 360 days to just 180 days before the actual election. Clause 29 also got the exact same rough treatment. The strict deadline for submitting candidates’ lists was shortened drastically. It dropped from 180 days down to 90 days before any general election. Politicians now have less time to do their usual midnight scheming.
Now, what happens if you play dirty with PVCs? Clause 22 handles that matter. Some people actually proposed a scary 10-year jail term for anyone caught buying or selling voter cards. The Senate looked at it and said no. They rejected the 10-year idea. Instead, they retained the existing two-year imprisonment option. But they did increase the fine heavily. It jumped from ₦2 million straight to ₦5 million. So your pocket will definitely bleed if you are caught misbehaving.
We at Reportersroom also noticed they struck out Clause 142 completely. That specific clause would have allowed lawyers to prove non-compliance in election petitions by just using original or certified documents. No oral evidence needed. But lawmakers threw it out. They claim it would cause too much unnecessary delays in court proceedings. So oral evidence is still heavily needed in tribunals.
Finally, on ballot paper inspection under Clause 44. The Senate decided to leave it exactly as it is. INEC is still strictly required to invite political parties to inspect sample electoral materials at least 20 days before an election holds. Parties still get two days to submit written approval or complain about their details on the samples. This amended Electoral Act now moves to the next legislative stage. Setting the framework for future polls. Let us wait and see what happens next.
