President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) Act into law, days after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) unveiled the timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The signing ceremony took place at about 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday at the State House, Abuja, in the presence of principal officers of the National Assembly.
The amendment bill had been passed by the National Assembly on Tuesday, clearing the way for presidential assent.
The new law comes on the heels of intense national debate over the electronic transmission of election results a contentious issue that has dominated political discourse and civic engagement in recent weeks.
Last week, protests broke out at the National Assembly complex as civil society organisations and opposition figures demanded that lawmakers mandate the live electronic transmission of results directly from polling units to INEC’s central server.
Protesters argued that real-time transmission would curb result manipulation and strengthen public trust in Nigeria’s electoral process.
However, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and some stakeholders raised concerns about the technical feasibility of implementing live transmission nationwide, particularly in rural communities with weak telecommunications infrastructure. They advocated for a phased or hybrid model that would allow manual collation where electronic systems encounter difficulties.
Although full details of the amendment are still being reviewed, the revised law is expected to significantly influence preparations for the 2027 general elections, as INEC, political parties, and candidates begin aligning their strategies with the updated legal framework.
Observers say the amendment marks a critical moment in Nigeria’s electoral evolution, with its implementation likely to test both technological readiness and political will in the lead-up to the next general polls.