Electoral Act amendment: How mandatory electronic transmission of results will shape 2027 election

As Nigeria steadily inches towards the 2027 general election, the debate over electoral reforms has returned to the front burner.

Central to this renewed discourse is the proposal to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory, a reform many analysts believe could fundamentally reshape the credibility, transparency, and acceptability of future elections.

The push is part of a broader constitution and electoral law review being championed by the 10th National Assembly.

Lawmakers are reviewing a wide range of contentious and long-standing national issues, including the creation of new states and local government areas, state police, devolution of powers, fiscal federalism, revenue allocation, local government autonomy, independent candidacy, and the immunity clause.

However, pundits are of the view that among these proposals, none has generated as much public interest and political sensitivity as the mandatory electronic transmission of election results.

 Legislative push for reform 

Presenting the lead debate on the general principles of the proposed Electoral Act amendment in October 2025, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Senator Simon Lalong (APC, Plateau South), argued that the amendment was imperative to correct the deficiencies witnessed during the 2023 general election.

Senator Lalong argued that strengthening the legal framework governing elections was critical to restoring public trust and safeguarding Nigeria’s democratic future.

The lawmaker noted that if passed into law, the amendment would significantly enhance the integrity of elections, curb manipulation, and ensure that the will of voters is accurately reflected in final results.

BusinessDay reports that Lalong’s position reflects a growing consensus within and outside the National Assembly that the credibility gap exposed in 2023 must be addressed ahead of 2027.

A draft copy of the proposed amendment obtained by BusinessDay shows that lawmakers intend to alter Section 60(5) of the Electoral Act 2022 to make electronic transmission of results compulsory rather than discretionary.

Under the current law, INEC is permitted, but not mandated, to transmit results electronically, leaving room for inconsistencies in implementation.

This gap became evident on December 17, 2025, when the House of Representatives approved a proposal mandating the real-time electronic transmission of election results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The resolution was adopted during the clause-by-clause consideration of a report seeking to amend the Electoral Act 2022.

The approved clause stipulates that “the presiding officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) portal in real time, and such transmission shall be done after the prescribed Form EC8A has been signed and stamped by the presiding officer and/or countersigned by the candidates or polling unit agents, where available.”

BusinessDay reports that this provision, if eventually passed by the Senate and assented to, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would make electronic transmission legally binding for the first time in Nigeria’s electoral history.

Read also: Strengthening democracy: A call for electoral reforms

 Lessons from the 2023 election 

The renewed legislative interest in mandatory electronic transmission is largely driven by the controversy surrounding the 2023 general election.

BusinessDay recalls that ahead of the polls, INEC had repeatedly assured Nigerians that results from polling units would be uploaded to its IReV in real time, a promise that raised public expectations.

However, while results from governorship and legislative elections were largely transmitted electronically, the commission failed to upload the presidential election results as promised. INEC later attributed the failure to “technical glitches,” a development that triggered widespread backlash, legal disputes, and protests.

At the height of the controversy, INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, admitted that the commission encountered challenges in transmitting presidential election results. While the explanation was technically plausible, many analysts and opposition parties argued that the failure undermined the credibility of the election and eroded public trust in the electoral process.

Pundits warned that allowing such lapses to persist without legal consequences would leave Nigeria’s democracy vulnerable to manipulation. This, they argued, made it imperative for lawmakers to remove discretion from the process and embed mandatory electronic transmission in law.

 Impact on the 2027 elections

Political analysts broadly agree that compulsory electronic transmission of results could be a game-changer for the 2027 general election. If properly implemented, the reform is expected to enhance transparency, reduce human interference, and ensure that results declared at polling units are the same as those eventually announced.

Observers are of the view that one major advantage is speed. Real-time transmission significantly shortens the time between voting and final result declaration, reducing the anxiety, speculation, and tension that often accompany long collation processes.

It is argued that faster results also reduce opportunities for tampering during manual transportation of result sheets.

Although the reform requires substantial initial investment in technology, infrastructure, and training, analysts argue that electronic systems could reduce long-term costs associated with printing, transporting, and storing millions of paper documents.

Security experts have argued that security is another critical consideration, citing previous elections, where electoral officials transporting physical result sheets were frequently exposed to intimidation, violence, and attacks by political thugs.

Pundits say electronic transmission minimises the need for physical movement of sensitive materials, thereby improving the safety of election officials and reducing electoral violence.

Legal experts also point out that electronically transmitted results provide stronger and more verifiable evidence in election petitions, arguing that digital timestamps, server logs, and audit trails can make it easier for courts to resolve disputes based on objective data rather than conflicting testimonies.

Some lawmakers have argued that mandatory electronic transmission could help restore voter confidence. This is sequel to the growing concern that many Nigerians, particularly young voters, remain skeptical about whether their votes truly count.

There are sustained arguments that a transparent and verifiable system could rekindle public trust and increase voter turnout in the 2027 general election.

 Fierce contest 

Political observers believe the 2027 general election will be the most fiercely contested in Nigeria’s history.

Pundits observe that the ongoing political alignments, defections, and early politicking suggest an intense battle between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and a reconfiguring opposition in 2027.

With political stakes higher than ever, analysts have warned that any perception of manipulation could trigger widespread unrest, pointing out that mandatory electronic transmission is seen as a stabilising mechanism capable of dousing post-election tension, provided INEC implements it transparently and efficiently if passed and assented to, by President Tinubu.

 The hurdles ahead 

Despite broad public support, significant hurdles remain. Amending the Electoral Act or the Constitution is a complex and often costly process.

Constitution review exercises have been plagued by political disagreements, procedural bottlenecks, and, in some cases, presidential refusal to grant assent.

Several amendment efforts have failed due to the inability to secure approval from at least two-thirds of the 36 state Houses of Assembly, which is a mandatory constitutional requirement.

Others had collapsed after guzzling billions of naira without yielding meaningful reforms.

It should also be noted that constitution amendment exercises over the past two decades have gulped more than N20 billion, resulting in about 30 alterations to the 1999 Constitution.

The first amendment process was initiated by the 5th National Assembly under the leadership of then Deputy Senate President Ibrahim Mantu, and every subsequent assembly has followed suit, often with limited success.

Critics also argue that technology alone cannot fix Nigeria’s electoral challenges without institutional independence, political will, and accountability.

Concerns remain about internet connectivity in remote areas, cybersecurity threats, and INEC’s capacity to manage nationwide real-time transmission.

Nevertheless, many Nigerians see the proposed reform as a step that could mark a turning point in Nigeria’s electoral evolution, considering that the country’s democracy has been battered by decades of disputed elections and declining public trust.

The reform, according to lawmakers, political analysts, pundits and other observers, offers an opportunity to rebuild confidence in the ballot as a tool for genuine political change.

As the 10th National Assembly presses ahead with its review, the success or failure of the proposal may well shape not only the outcome of the 2027 general election, but the future trajectory of Nigeria’s democracy.