(DDM) – The Nigerian Senate has passed for the second reading a landmark bill seeking to repeal the Electoral Act 2022 and introduce a new Electoral Act 2025 that will make electronic transmission of election results mandatory ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that the proposed law, sponsored by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Senator Simon Lalong (APC, Plateau South), aims to fix the technological lapses that marred the 2023 general elections, especially during presidential result collation and transmission.
The bill, which seeks to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral integrity, mandates presiding officers to transmit results electronically and manually at every level of collation.
This amendment directly alters Section 60 (5) of the 2022 Electoral Act, which previously gave the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) discretion to determine how results should be transmitted.
Under the proposed 2025 law, every presiding officer must send election results, including total accredited voters, both electronically and manually to the next level of collation.
This provision, analysts say, will close the loopholes that led to widespread controversy and loss of public trust during the last elections.
The bill also contains other major reforms, such as recognising statutory delegates in party primaries, introducing digital voter identification with QR-coded voter cards, and recognising voting rights for inmates.
It further proposes that general elections be held not later than 185 days before the expiration of current officeholders’ terms, a change that could move the next elections from early 2027 to November 2026.
The Senate debate, however, was not without controversy. Lawmakers questioned the procedure after a public hearing was held before the second reading, an uncommon legislative practice.
Senator Binos Dauda Yaroe (PDP, Adamawa South) expressed concern, saying public hearings should follow second readings, while Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) advised the chamber to suspend the matter for another day.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio eventually put the matter to a voice vote, and it was stepped down last week but later passed for a second reading after detailed review.
Akpabio emphasised that INEC must henceforth be held accountable for the conduct and transparency of elections, adding that the electoral body should bear the burden of proving that its processes comply with the law.
The Senate President also claimed that Nigeria’s elections have improved since 2015 and recalled how former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua once admitted the flaws in his own election, stressing that continuous reform is key to democratic survival.
Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) said the new bill would align Nigeria’s electoral process with global democratic standards, while Senator Adamu Aliero (APC, Kebbi Central) highlighted the need to correct the exclusion of elected officials as delegates in previous primaries.
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North) urged for better clarity on the roles of security agencies during elections, while Senator Patrick Ndubueze (APC, Imo North) proposed that results should be compiled and announced within six hours of voting.
Other provisions of the bill include mandatory early voting, higher campaign spending limits, and inclusion of the National Identification Number (NIN) as a voter registration requirement.
Political analysts and civil society groups have praised the Senate’s move, describing it as a decisive step toward restoring credibility in Nigeria’s democratic system.
Former lawmaker Bernard Mikko warned, however, that without sincerity and transparency, even advanced technology could be compromised.
Another political commentator, Jackson Lekan Ojo, said the bill offers a second chance for Nigeria to get its electoral process right, urging the current INEC chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, to work closely with lawmakers to ensure the success of electronic result transmission before 2027.
If passed and assented to by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Electoral Act 2025 could become one of the most transformative laws in Nigeria’s democratic history, redefining how elections are conducted, transmitted, and validated in the digital era.
