Civil society leaders, electoral experts, and top officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) converged on Sunday for a Citizens’ Townhall to examine the newly signed Electoral Act 2026 and its implications for the 2027 general elections.
The event, organised by the Civil Society Network on Electoral Integrity, including YIAGA Africa and The Albino Foundation (TAF Africa), was themed “Electoral Act 2026: What it means for your vote and the 2027 Elections.” It focused on key reforms such as mandatory electronic transmission of results through IReV and BVAS, hybrid manual backups, revised party primaries, and earlier funding release for INEC.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), gave a strong assurance that the 2027 polls would be Nigeria’s “best election yet,” citing improved voter awareness since 2023 and reforms embedded in the new law. He pledged that past technical failures would not recur and disclosed plans for a mock presidential election to test the transmission infrastructure nationwide.
“I don’t see the issue of transmission as a problem; the problem is not the network but the adequacy of the networks we have,” Amupitan said, adding that glitches would not derail the 2027 elections.
However, YIAGA Africa’s Executive Director, Samson Itodo, criticised the provision allowing manual transmission in the event of technical failure, describing it as a dangerous loophole that could undermine public trust. He urged the National Assembly to prioritise full electronic transmission and warned that the compressed timetable places additional pressure on the Commission.
Former INEC National Commissioner Okechukwu Ibeanu also expressed concern over recurring amendments to electoral laws, cautioning against overreliance on legislative changes to fix systemic issues. He emphasised that citizens must remain vigilant to safeguard democracy.
Other speakers, including former INEC ICT Director Chidi Nwafor and Nigerian Society of Engineers ICT Head Oluwadara Oluwalana, debated the country’s technical capacity, with Oluwalana expressing confidence that telecom operators could support seamless electronic transmission in 2027.
Senator Victor Umeh described the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) as a “game-changer” but noted that allowing reliance on Form EC8A in cases of network failure remains contentious. Similarly, former INEC Director of Voter Education Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi questioned who determines when a network failure justifies manual collation.
Political party representatives also weighed in. National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, dismissed claims that the new law favours the ruling party, defending recent defections from opposition parties. Meanwhile, Sam Amadi of the African Democratic Congress expressed doubts about INEC’s preparedness.
The Electoral Act 2026, signed into law by President Bola Tinubu on February 18, 2026, replaces the 2022 legislation. It mandates electronic result transmission to IReV, recognises BVAS, revises timelines for primaries and candidate nominations, and provides for earlier funding of INEC.
While the presidency maintains that the law strengthens transparency, critics argue that discretionary powers granted to electoral officials during technical failures could affect credibility.
INEC has since revised the 2027 election timetable in line with the new law, fixing January 16, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly elections and February 6, 2027, for governorship and state assembly polls.
As debate continues, stakeholders agree on one point: the credibility of the 2027 elections will depend not only on the law but also on implementation, institutional integrity, and citizen vigilance.
