Several civil society groups have gathered in Lagos to urge the National Assembly’s harmonisation committee to adopt the House of Representatives’ position on key electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The groups want the law to clearly allow mandatory electronic transmission of election results, use of downloadable voter cards, and retention of existing electoral timelines.
The meeting was organised by the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), Nigerian Women Trust Fund, TAF Africa, Yiaga Africa, and the International Press Centre (IPC). The groups also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to release the election timetable in line with the Electoral Act 2022.
According to the organisers, their action follows a statement they issued on February 5, 2026, where they raised concerns over the Senate’s rejection of electronic transmission of results and the use of downloaded, missing, or unissued voter cards. They also criticised the Senate’s decision to shorten key election timelines.
The groups further condemned the Senate’s removal of a proposed 10-year ban for offences related to the buying and selling of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
They warned that the disagreement between the Senate and the House of Representatives could seriously affect the credibility of the 2027 elections.
The groups stressed that electoral reform is not just a technical process but a critical step in ensuring transparent, credible, and predictable democratic elections.
They said delays in amending the Electoral Act have created legal uncertainty, which is slowing down INEC’s preparations and could weaken the conduct of future elections.
They also noted confusion surrounding the Senate’s position on electronic transmission of results. According to them, three different interpretations have emerged:
that the Senate approved real-time electronic transmission,
that it retained INEC’s discretionary powers under the Electoral Act 2022, or
that it replaced the word “transmit” with “transfer” and removed the phrase “real-time”.
The groups described it as troubling that such an important law is caught in political disputes.
They warned that the delay in finalising the amendments could affect INEC’s ability to meet legal requirements. Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 requires INEC to issue a notice of elections at least 360 days before the election date.
According to them, the uncertainty created by the ongoing amendment process appears to have discouraged INEC from releasing the 2027 election timetable, which could put the commission at risk of violating the existing law.
