Electoral Act: Nigeria’s elections can no longer be rigged, says Sen Nwaebonyi

By Goli Innocent

Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi of Ebonyi North says the latest amendment to Nigeria’s Electoral Act has effectively closed loopholes that previously allowed election manipulation.

Speaking on ARISE Television, Nwaebonyi explained that the revised law now makes electronic transmission of election results mandatory. He emphasised that the updated legal framework carries greater authority than the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) guidelines.

“Nobody can rig election in Nigeria under the new arrangement,” the senator said, highlighting a key distinction from the 2022 Electoral Act: the mandatory nature of electronic vote transmission. “The word in the law is ‘shall’, not ‘may’. This makes all the difference.”

Nwaebonyi further noted that the amendment overrides any conflicting INEC operational guidelines, including the use of the Result Viewing Portal (IREV). “If there is a conflict between the guideline and the Act, the Act is an Act of the parliament. The guideline is a guideline of the agency. The Electoral Act supersedes it,” he said.

The lawmaker stressed that the success of the reforms depends on the vigilance of political actors and stakeholders. “All that is required is for all eyes to be on the ball by all political players,” he added.

The Senate reconvened in an emergency session following public concerns over previous changes to the Electoral Act, particularly provisions on electronic result transmission and INEC’s IREV portal. The amendment is now expected to fundamentally strengthen the legal framework for future election disputes in Nigeria.