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From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
The Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, has highlighted key amendments made by the National Assembly in the Electoral Act, 2026.
He said it has abolished indirect primaries, introduced mandatory digital membership registers for political parties, stiffened penalties for electoral offences, and significantly raised campaign spending limits under the Electoral Act, 2026.
He added that the new law also establishes a dedicated funding framework for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), enforces mandatory electronic transmission of election results, and compels the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter accreditation, in reforms designed to strengthen transparency, accountability and electoral credibility ahead of the 2027 general election.
Bamidele, who disclosed the highlights in a statement issued by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs on Sunday, further said the Act was the product of two years of extensive engagements and consultations with key stakeholders, including INEC, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF), civil society organisations (CSOs) and development partners.
He explained that the National Assembly harmonised the different versions of the Electoral Bill 2026 passed by both chambers, particularly on contentious provisions such as Clause 60(3), before transmitting the final draft to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assent to avert any constitutional crisis in the build-up to the 2027 general election.
President Tinubu subsequently signed the bill into law within 24 hours of its passage, completing what Bamidele described as a rigorous two-year legislative and consultative process.
Although some CSOs had questioned the speed of the presidential assent, the Senate leader maintained that the process reflected broad national consensus, stressing that stakeholders were fully involved throughout the drafting and review stages.
“The making of the new regime is a collective work that involves nearly all critical stakeholders. As we were making progress, they were also making their input, and all the contributions were incorporated in the Act,” he said.
Highlighting the core innovations, Bamidele said Section 3 of the Act establishes a dedicated fund for INEC, guaranteeing its financial autonomy, operational stability and administrative continuity. Under the provision, election funds must now be released at least six months before general elections, while INEC is empowered to review questionable result declarations made under duress or procedural violations.
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On voter accreditation, he said Section 47 mandates presiding officers to deploy BVAS or any other technological device prescribed by INEC to verify, confirm and authenticate the particulars of intending voters.
He added that Section 60(3) makes electronic transmission of election results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) mandatory, while Section 60(6) prescribes six months’ imprisonment, a fine of ₦500,000, or both, for any presiding officer who deliberately frustrates the process.
The Act, however, conditionally permits the use of Form EC8A for manual transmission of results where electronic transmission fails due to genuine communication challenges, stressing that IReV is designed to enhance transparency and not serve as a collation platform.
On political party primaries, Bamidele said the law abolishes indirect primaries, retaining only direct and consensus primaries under Section 84, to broaden participation and curb the influence of money in delegate-based systems.
He explained that Section 77 mandates political parties to maintain digital registers of members, issue membership cards, and submit such registers to INEC at least 21 days before primaries, congresses or conventions, warning that any party that fails to comply would lose eligibility to field candidates.
“No political party shall use any other register than the one submitted to INEC. These are consequential restraint measures aimed at deepening internal democracy and reducing the monetisation of politics,” he said.
The Senate leader further disclosed that Section 92 of the Act reviewed campaign spending limits upward, raising the ceiling to N10 billion for presidential elections, N3 billion for governorship, N500 million for Senate, N250 million for House of Representatives, N100 million for State Assembly, N60 million for Area Council and N10 million for councillorship elections.
Under Section 125, he said the law stiffened penalties for vote buying, impersonation and result manipulation, prescribing two years’ imprisonment or fines ranging between N500,000 and N2 million, or both.
Other notable provisions include gender-sensitive voting arrangements under Section 49, special voting support for persons with visual impairment under Section 54, and a N10 million fine for any political party that fails to submit accurate audited financial returns within stipulated timelines under Section 93(4).
Bamidele said the Electoral Act, 2026 represents a consolidation and refinement of Nigeria’s electoral governance framework.
“The Act seeks to enhance electoral credibility, reduce disputes and strengthen democratic governance in Nigeria by promoting financial and operational independence of INEC, technological integration with safeguards, transparency in collation and declaration, stricter penalties for electoral offences and stronger regulation of political parties,” he said.
