President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday appended his signature to the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) Bill, just days after Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) unveiled its 2027 election roadmap.
The assent unfolded at the State House, Abuja, around 5:00 p.m., with top National Assembly leaders witnessing the historic moment. Lawmakers had fast-tracked the bill’s passage on Tuesday.
Tensions boiled over the burning issue of real-time electronic transmission of polling unit results to INEC’s servers—a provision activists say is key to curbing vote rigging.
Last week, civil society groups and opposition heavyweights stormed the National Assembly in protests, demanding lawmakers embed mandatory live uploads to boost electoral trust.
Protesters insisted that deploying technology would slash manipulation risks, but APC chieftains countered that spotty rural networks make it impractical, pushing instead for a hybrid model blending electronic and manual methods.
