The Senate on Wednesday passed for second reading a bill seeking to repeal the Electoral Act 2022 and enact a new Electoral Act 2025, with a major proposal mandating the electronic transmission of election results ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The bill, which aims to regulate the conduct of federal, state and area council elections, followed growing calls to address the technical glitches that marred result transmission during the 2023 presidential election.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Simon Lalong (APC, Plateau South), last, week led the debate on the bill which was later stepped down for further consideration.
Presenting the general principles of the legislation, Lalong said the amendment was necessary to correct the lapses witnessed in the 2023 polls and to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral process for credible future elections.
Daily Trust reports that before the bill’s second reading, the joint committees of the National Assembly on Electoral Reforms, in collaboration with the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), had held a public hearing, a move that raised questions about legislative procedure.
In a draft copy of the proposed amendment obtained by Daily Trust, lawmakers seek to alter Section 60 (5) to make electronic transmission of results compulsory.
While the 2022 Act did not expressly mention electronic transmission, the proposed 2025 version stipulates that “the Presiding Officer shall transmit the results, including the total number of accredited voters, to the next level of collation both electronically and manually.”
By contrast, the current Section 60 (5) of the 2022 law only states that “the Presiding Officer shall transfer the results, including the number of accredited voters and the results of the ballot, in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.”
