President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday evening signed the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) into law, days after the Independent National Electoral Commission released the timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The brief ceremony took place at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, around 5:00 pm, with principal officers of the National Assembly in attendance. Lawmakers had passed the bill on Tuesday.
The amendment brings fresh arguments over whether results should be transmitted electronically from polling units straight to INEC’s central server. Civil-society groups and opposition figures say real-time uploads would make rigging harder and shore up trust.
Last week protesters blocked parts of the National Assembly complex, demanding the change. They pointed to the 2023 election, when INEC’s Results Viewing Portal crashed, fuelling widespread fraud claims.
While the ruling All Progressives Congress backs wider tech use, some stakeholders warn that spotty telecoms in rural areas could leave voters there disenfranchised. They want a hybrid system that lets officials fall back on manual collation when the network fails.
Voters will choose the President and federal lawmakers on 20 February 2027, then pick governors and state legislators on 6 March.
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