The Nigerian political landscape is currently dominated by a contentious debate surrounding the proposed amendments to the Electoral Act, particularly concerning the electronic transmission of election results. The Senate's recent decision to reject mandatory, real-time electronic transmission from polling units to the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) database has ignited widespread public outcry and drawn sharp criticism from various stakeholders, raising significant concerns about the integrity of the 2027 general elections and the future of Nigeria's democracy.

During the consideration of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026, the Senate voted to retain the existing provision of the Electoral Act 2022, which allows presiding officers to "transfer the results... in a manner as prescribed by the Commission," rather than mandating real-time electronic transmission. This decision, following an amendment moved by Senator Tahir Monguno, has been widely interpreted as a step back from electoral reforms aimed at enhancing transparency. Senate President Godswill Akpabio later clarified that electronic transmission "has always been in our Act," but emphasized the removal of the "real-time" requirement.

Akpabio justified this by citing concerns about potential network failures leading to legal disputes, drawing parallels to a past US presidential election. He stated that the burden of determining the mode of transfer or transmission would be left to INEC, suggesting flexibility is necessary in a country with uneven connectivity and complex terrain.

The Senate's stance has provoked a torrent of reactions. Opposition senators, led by Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, insisted that mandatory electronic transmission of results was an agreed-upon principle during earlier legislative engagements. Mr Isaac Fayose, a businessman and brother of former Governor Ayodele Fayose, expressed strong disapproval, suggesting that the non-transmission of results would facilitate rigging and render future elections, particularly for candidates like Peter Obi, futile. He advocated for protests against the Senate's decision and also touched on issues like foreign influence on Nigerian politics and the urgent need for state police to address escalating insecurity.

Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, provided insight into the political class's apprehension regarding electronic transmission. He explained that its power lies in enhancing transparency and serving as a deterrent against manipulation at the collation level, which he identified as the "weakest link" in Nigeria's results management process. Itodo highlighted that electronic uploading of results from polling units ensures accessibility and visibility before results reach collation centers, thereby limiting opportunities for alteration.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), through its president Joe Ajaero, issued a stern warning, threatening mass action or a total boycott of elections if the amendment does not mandate real-time electronic transmission. The NLC condemned the "confusion and contradictory narratives" emanating from the Senate, emphasizing that a lack of clarity undermines public trust and risks institutionalizing doubt in the electoral process. They demanded an "immediate, official, and unambiguous account" of the Senate's decisions and called for the harmonisation process to produce a bill with "crystal-clear provisions" for real-time electronic transmission and collation of results.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) also weighed in, with its national chairman, Senator David Mark, cautioning Akpabio against speaking for INEC. Mark asserted that the law should be passed, allowing INEC to decide on the implementation of real-time electronic transmission. Additionally, Okonkwo, an ADC chieftain, labeled Senate President Akpabio an "enemy of democracy" and called for his resignation, citing a Supreme Court Justice's pronouncement that resisting technology in elections equates to promoting rigging and manipulation.

A coalition of activists, under the newly formed Movement for Credible Elections (MCE), including prominent figures like Femi Falana, Pat Utomi, Oby Ezekwesili, Ayuba Wabba, Dr Usman Bugaje, Senator Shehu Sani, Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo, and Olawale Okunniyi, announced plans for an "Occupy NASS" protest. They alleged that the rejection of real-time electronic transmission was a deliberate ploy to facilitate electoral fraud ahead of the 2027 elections, viewing it as a "direct assault" on the right of Nigerians to choose their leaders freely. The MCE accused the National Assembly of choosing "opacity over transparency, manipulation over credibility and elite conspiracy over the sovereign will of the people."

The broader implications of these legislative choices are significant. Nigeria's electoral history reveals that disputes have shifted from voting irregularities to manipulation during result collation. The decision to maintain discretion in this critical phase, rather than imposing a firm legal obligation, sends a political signal of caution regarding reforms that touch sensitive levers of electoral credibility.

This ambiguity, particularly in an environment of fragile institutional trust, is seen as combustible, leaving citizens with the crucial question: "Can results be altered after leaving the polling unit?" The Supreme Court's 2023 judgment, which stated that the IReV Portal is not part of the collation system unless specifically entrenched in the Electoral Act, further underscores the need for clear legal mandates.

Beyond electronic transmission, other electoral reforms are also under scrutiny. The amendment bill reportedly removed a proposed ten-year ban from contesting elections for those convicted of vote buying and selling, opting instead to retain the two-year imprisonment provision from the old Act of 2022. Critics argue that this softens the moral weight of the law, suggesting that while the act is punished, the path to political ambition remains open, undermining deterrence. Other provisions include stiffer fines for presiding officers failing to stamp results and requiring parties to submit electronic copies of membership registers to INEC before primaries, aiming to curb candidate substitutions and pre-election litigations.

Nigeria has undergone repeated electoral law adjustments over the past two decades, with each cycle promising improved administration. While technological advancements like BVAS have enhanced transparency at the polling unit, overall electoral credibility has not risen at the same pace.

This gap, as observed by analysts, exists because credibility hinges not just on law but on behavior, political restraint, institutional courage, and a shared elite commitment to fair play. The current amendment, while refining the framework, is perceived to leave the central anxiety of the electorate only partially addressed. For many, until reforms decisively close the gap between procedure and confidence, every new law will be scrutinized through the enduring question: "Can we trust what happens after we vote?"