THE Senate has approved the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill 2026 after it scaled through its third reading, but lawmakers declined to adopt a provision that would have made the electronic transmission of election results compulsory.
During deliberations, the upper chamber voted against an amendment to Clause 60(3) that sought to mandate presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit polling unit results electronically to the IReV portal in real time after completing and endorsing the required result forms.
Instead, senators retained the existing wording of the law, which allows results to be transmitted in a manner determined by INEC.
Reacting to the decision, Senate President Godswill Akpabio dismissed claims that the Senate had rejected electronic transmission of results, insisting that the current law already accommodates it.
He maintained that the chamber merely preserved the existing provision and had no intention of stalling or weakening the electoral reform process.
Earlier in the session, lawmakers also reviewed Clause 22 of the bill, rejecting a proposal to impose a 10-year prison sentence on individuals involved in the buying or selling of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
The Senate instead upheld a two-year jail term while increasing the associated fine from ₦2 million to ₦5 million.
The chamber further amended key timelines in the electoral process. Under Clause 28, the notice of election period was reduced from 360 days to 180 days before the election date.
Similarly, Clause 29 was adjusted to shorten the deadline for political parties to submit their list of candidates and affidavits from 180 days to 90 days before a general election.
Other provisions were retained or revised, including Clause 44 on the format of ballot papers, which requires INEC to invite political parties to inspect samples of electoral materials at least 20 days before an election.
In Clause 47, lawmakers adopted the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for accreditation but rejected electronically generated voter identification, affirming the Permanent Voter Card as the primary means of voter identification at polling units.
The Senate also removed Clause 142, which addressed the effect of non-compliance in election petitions, following concerns that it could unnecessarily prolong court proceedings.
To harmonise differences between the chambers, a conference committee was constituted, with Senator Tahir Munguno named as chairman.
