President Bola Tinubu has signed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026 into law, concluding months of intense deliberations by the National Assembly.
The signing ceremony took place at the State House, Abuja, in the presence of top government officials, including the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Speaking at the event, Tinubu said democracy thrives on robust debate anchored on national development and stability, stressing the need for Nigerians to trust the electoral process.
“The essence of democracy is to have very solid discussions committed to national development and nation-building, which are essential for the stability of the nation,” the President said.
According to him, restoring confidence in the electoral system is critical to deepening democratic practice.
“What is crucial is the fact that you manage the process to the extent that there will be no confusion, no disenfranchisement of Nigerians, and that we are all going to see democracy flourish,” Tinubu said.
“No matter how good the system is, it’s managed by the people, promoted by the people, and the result is finalised by the people,” he added.
Addressing the contentious issue of election result transmission, Tinubu noted that while technology has a role to play, the final declaration of results remains a human responsibility.
“For final results, you are not going to be talking to the computer; you are going to be talking to human beings who will announce the final results,” he said.
The President urged Nigerians to realistically assess the country’s technological capacity, especially broadband availability, when debating real-time electronic transmission.
“As long as you appear personally as a voter, a ballot paper is given to you manually, you thumb-print your choice and cast your vote without hindrance, the ballots are subsequently counted manually,” Tinubu explained.
He added that only the arithmetic accuracy of the manually collated results is transferred into Form EC8A, warning against potential technological disruptions.
“We need to avoid glitches, interference and unnecessary hacking in this age of computer inquisitiveness,” the President said. “Nigeria will be there. We will flourish. We will continue to nurture this democracy for the fulfillment of our dream for the prosperity and stability of our country.”
The bill sparked heated debates in the past week, with lawmakers sharply divided over the mode of result transmission ahead of next year’s general elections.
In the Senate, proceedings turned rowdy during consideration of Clause 60 after Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe demanded a division on the provision relating to electronic transmission of results. The disagreement led to multiple points of order, face-offs among senators, and consultations on the floor.
After a formal division, Senate President Akpabio announced that 55 senators voted in support of retaining the proviso allowing manual transmission of results in the event of network failure, while 15 senators opposed it.
Earlier, the Senate had dissolved into the committee of the whole for a clause-by-clause reconsideration of the bill following a motion to rescind earlier amendments. Deliberations stalled again at Clause 60, prompting murmurs across the chamber and eventually a closed-door session.
Tension in the House of Representatives
The controversy also played out in the House of Representatives, where opposition lawmakers protested a motion seeking to rescind the chamber’s earlier passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill that mandated real-time electronic transmission of results.
Although the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, ruled that the “ayes” had it during a voice vote, the decision was met with loud objections, forcing the House into an executive session.
The House had previously adopted compulsory real-time transmission of election results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) when it passed the bill last year.
