The civil society organisations has called on the National Assembly to expeditiously conclude the amendment process of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and transmit the final bill to the President within two weeks.
It also called on the National Assembly conference committee on Electoral Act Amendment Bill to adopt the House of Representatives version mandating electronic transmission of electoral results ahead of the 2027 elections.
They said the call became imperative following the Senate’s rejection of electronic transmission of election results.
The CSOs which comprised Centre for Media Society, The Kukah Centre, International Press Centre, Elect Her, Yiaga Africa, The Albino Foundation, and the Nigerian Women Trust Fund.
While addressing journalists on behalf of the CSOs on Monday in Abuja, Mr. Jake Epelle also decried that the Senate also removed the proposed 10-year ban for offences related to the buying and selling of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVC).
He was of the opinion that the divergence between the Senate and the House on these amendments has profound implications for the integrity of the 2027 general election.
Epelle noted that the delay in concluding the electoral amendment introduces legal uncertainty that may compromise preparations for the 2027 elections.
“We reiterate our recommendation that the National Assembly should expeditiously conclude the amendment process and transmit the final bill to the President within two weeks,” Epelle maintained.
He explained that Section 28 (1) Electoral Act 2022 empowers INEC to issue notice of elections 360 days before the date of election.
Epelle lamented that the legal uncertainty created by ongoing amendments has apparently deterred INEC from releasing the timetable for the 2027 elections, placing the Commission in potential violation of the extant law.
He, however, maintained that the 2022 Electoral Act remains operative until amended, while insisting that the status of the Electoral Bill does not suspend INEC’s statutory obligations.
Against this background, the CSOs called on the electoral body to issue the election timetable and schedule for the 2027 general election in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 without further delay.
The CSOs stated: “With respect to the provision on electronic transmission of results. We strongly recommend that the committee adopts the House of Representatives’ position mandating electronic transmission, with a modification addressing technological specificity.
“As currently drafted, explicit reference to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal creates potential rigidity. Since electoral technology evolves, statutory references to specific platforms require legislative amendment each time technological infrastructure changes.
“This approach aligns with the existing Electoral Act provisions regarding the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which permits ‘BVAS or any other technological device’ for accreditation, establishing a precedent for technology-neutral legal frameworks that combine mandatory obligations with implementation flexibility.
“We hereby proposed the following modification to Clause 60(3); The designated election official shall electronically transmit all election results in real time, including the number of accredited voters, directly from the polling units and collation centres to a public portal and the transmitted result shall be used to verify any other result before it is collated.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we provide clarity on the concept of ‘real-time”. Real-time electronic transmission of results means sending the official polling unit results recorded on Form EC8A electronically from the polling unit directly to a central results portal immediately after voting has ended, ballots have been counted, and the results have been publicly announced at the polling unit.
“This transmission happens in the presence of party agents, observers, and voters at the polling unit. It ensures that the exact results recorded at the polling unit are uploaded and available for public verification before they are physically transported for collation. Real-time transmission.”
On his alert, Samson Itodo maintained that if the Senate does not adopt the position of the House, the Senate would have betrayed the trust of Nigerians.
According to him, If they refuse, what they would be telling Nigerians is that the legitimacy of the 2027 elections is thrown into jeopardy.”
The CSOs further urged the conference committee to adopt the position of the House of Representatives which approves downloadable missing and unissued voters’ cards.
The CSOs emphasised that data from INEC’s 2023 general election cycle indicate that approximately 6.2 million registered voters failed to collect their PVCs, resulting in effective disenfranchisement despite completed registration.
The CSOs were of the opinion that downloadable PVCs eliminate such barriers to voter participation.
The CSOs added: “Regarding electoral timelines, we strongly recommend retaining current provisions: 360 days for notice of elections, 180 days for submission of candidate lists, and 150 days for publication of nominations by INEC.
“Compressing these timelines increases logistical risk, constrains ballot paper production and distribution, and heightens the chances of operational failures.”