Senate Moves to Strengthen Nigeria’s Electoral System with Real-Time Results Transmission and Other Key Amendments

By Otobong Gabriel,  Abuja 

The Nigerian Senate is preparing for a pivotal move to enhance the country's electoral framework in advance of the 2027 general elections. A key component of proposed reforms is the introduction of real-time electronic transmission of election results, which will form the centerpiece of significant amendments to the Electoral Act.

The bill mandates the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit results directly from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV) immediately after vote counting is completed. This provision aims to increase transparency and reduce the risk of election manipulation. Senators will debate the proposed changes on Thursday, with a focus on ensuring the effectiveness of these reforms.

Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central) has urged his colleagues to carefully review the document before the plenary session. Ahead of the public debate, Senate President Senator Godswill Akpabio approved a closed-door meeting for senators to exchange views on the proposed changes.

The Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, includes several other critical amendments aimed at addressing election-related malpractices. A new clause in the bill mandates that results be transmitted electronically from each polling unit in real-time, aligning with the physical collation of results.

Further amendments focus on improving the integrity of the election process. The bill proposes criminalizing the failure of presiding officers to sign and stamp ballot papers and announced results. It also officially recognizes the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) as the accredited tool for voter identification, replacing the previous "smart card reader."

The committee also introduced provisions to protect the voting rights of visually impaired and incapacitated persons, barring political party agents from accompanying them into voting cubicles to preserve the secrecy of their ballots.

To combat vote trading, the bill proposes a significant increase in penalties for the buying and selling of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). Offenders would face a fine of up to N5 million, up from the previous N500,000.

With these far-reaching reforms, the Senate is poised to initiate one of the most consequential overhauls of Nigeria’s electoral process in recent years. Senators are urged to approach the debate with careful deliberation to ensure a fair and transparent election system for 2027.