Opposition lawmakers in the National Assembly said the electorate now understands the motives of some political players in the passage of the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment).
The lawmakers spoke on Friday in Abuja following the enactment of the amended law, which retains manual transmission of election results alongside electronic methods.
President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) into law on Wednesday after it was passed by both chambers of the National Assembly.
The legislation replaces the 2022 Electoral Act and introduces provisions for election administration ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Some provisions on the electronic transmission of election results had been a subject of debate in the National Assembly. Lawmakers in the House and Senate differed on whether to make real-time electronic result transmission to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal mandatory.
Opposition members said they were disappointed that the National Assembly did not make the electronic transmission of election results to the IReV portal mandatory.
They said the legislature’s decision amounted to a betrayal of Nigerians who wanted real-time result uploads to enhance transparency.
Former Senate Minority Leader Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, APGA, representing Abia South, addressed how Nigerians might ensure their votes count in the 2027 general elections. He referenced the training and motivation of party agents as crucial to safeguarding votes.
Senator Abaribe said, “Nigerians can defeat any attempt to rig their votes. All we need to do is to get properly motivated and trained agents who will not be afraid to confront sabotage at the polling stations.”
The comments by opposition lawmakers reflect part of the wider national debate on electoral reforms contained in the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment).
The law’s provisions, especially on result transmission methods, are central to how future elections will be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The 2027 general elections are scheduled to be conducted under the legal framework of the amended act, and the positions taken by lawmakers could inform ongoing public discussions on electoral integrity and transparency.
