Electoral Act Amendment Bill Passes Third Reading in Senate

The Senate has passed the Electoral Act 2022 Repeal and Reenactment Amendment Bill 2026 after it scaled the third reading.

However, lawmakers rejected a key proposal that sought to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory at polling units.

The rejected amendment targeted Clause 60, Subsection 3, which would have compelled presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission to transmit results electronically to the IReV portal in real time.

Under the proposal, results were to be uploaded after Form EC8A had been completed, signed, and stamped by the presiding officer, and countersigned by party agents.

Instead, the Senate retained the existing provision of the Electoral Act, which allows presiding officers to transmit results in a manner determined by INEC.

Earlier during deliberations, senators also rejected a proposed 10-year jail term for those involved in the buying and selling of Permanent Voter Cards.

Lawmakers opted to maintain a two-year prison sentence while increasing the fine from ₦2 million to ₦5 million under Clause 22 of the bill.

The upper chamber further amended Clause 28, reducing the notice period for elections from 360 days to 180 days prior to the election date.

In Clause 29, the Senate shortened the deadline for political parties to submit their list of candidates and affidavits from 180 days to 90 days before the election.

The amended clause requires parties to submit the names of candidates who emerged from valid primaries conducted in line with the law.

The Senate also retained Clause 44 on ballot paper format, which mandates INEC to invite political parties to inspect samples of electoral materials at least 20 days before an election.

Political parties are allowed two days to raise objections or approve the appearance of their names and logos on the materials.

Under Clause 47, lawmakers replaced smart card readers with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System for voter accreditation and voting.

Despite this, the Senate rejected electronically generated voter identification and upheld the Permanent Voter Card as a valid means of identification at polling units.

In another major decision, the Senate struck out Clause 142, which sought to limit the need for oral evidence in election petitions where documentary evidence clearly showed non-compliance.

Lawmakers argued that retaining the clause could complicate judicial proceedings and lead to unnecessary delays.