By Ayomide Otitoju
The Senate on Wednesday passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill 2026 at the third reading, retaining key existing provisions while rejecting some proposed amendments.
The upper chamber declined to approve the proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, which would have made the electronic transmission of election results mandatory. The rejected provision required presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit results from each polling unit to the IREV portal in real time, after completing Form EC&A. Instead, the Senate retained the current provision, which allows presiding officers to transfer results “in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.”
Senate President Godswill Akpabio clarified that electronic transmission remains part of the law, stating, “What we did was retain the existing provision, which already makes provision for electronic transmission.” He emphasized that there was no attempt to delay or frustrate the bill’s passage.
The Senate also rejected a proposed 10-year jail term for the buying and selling of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) under Clause 22, opting to maintain a two-year imprisonment term while increasing the fine from ₦2 million to ₦5 million.
Other amendments include reducing the timeline for the notice of election under Clause 28 from 360 days to 180 days, and shortening the deadline for political parties to submit candidate lists and affidavits under Clause 29 from 180 days to 90 days. INEC will also invite parties to inspect their candidate information on electoral materials no later than 20 days before an election, with parties required to respond within two days.
Under Clause 47, the Senate replaced smart card readers with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter accreditation. However, lawmakers rejected electronically generated voter identification, confirming the Permanent Voter Card as the official mode of identification at polling units.
Additionally, Clause 142, which addressed the effect of non-compliance in election matters, was removed after concerns it could lead to unnecessary delays in court proceedings.
The Senate further announced the establishment of a conference committee, to be chaired by Senator Tahir Munguno, to harmonize differences and finalize the bill.
