A coalition of seven Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, has called on the National Assembly’s Harmonization Committee to adopt the House of Representatives’ position on mandatory electronic transmission of results, downloadable voter card and retention of electoral timelines.
The position was presented at a joint press briefing in Abuja on Monday, ahead of the Senate’s emergency plenary scheduled for Tuesday, February 10, 2026.
The call follows the Senate’s controversial passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill without provisions mandating electronic transmission of election results, a move that has generated public concern over the integrity of future elections.
The coalition comprises the Centre for Media and Society, CEMESO, The Kukah Centre, International Press Centre, IPC, ElectHER, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, The Albino Foundation, TAF Africa, and Yiaga Africa.
In a joint statement read by the Coordinator of The Albino Foundation, Dr Jake Epelle, the organizations recalled their earlier concerns over the Senate’s rejection of electronic transmission of results, provisions for downloaded missing or unissued voter cards, and the proposed compression of critical electoral timelines.
“We call on the conference committee members to approach the harmonization deliberations guided by national interest, institutional integrity, and democratic accountability rather than narrow partisan calculations.
“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,” Ekpele said.
The CSOs also faulted the Senate’s removal of a proposed 10-year ban on offences related to the buying and selling of Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, warning that differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill could undermine preparations for the 2027 general elections.
According to the groups, electoral reform remains central to democratic credibility, transparency, and orderly transitions, noting that prolonged legislative uncertainty could hinder the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in carrying out constitutionally mandated preparations.
They further expressed concern over conflicting public interpretations of the Senate’s position, stating that debates have produced three competing narratives: that the Senate approved real-time electronic transmission, retained INEC’s discretionary powers under the existing Act, or replaced “transmit” with “transfer” while removing the “real-time” qualifier.
The coalition described the confusion as troubling for legislation of such national importance.
Addressing legal certainty and preparations for the 2027 elections, the CSOs warned that delays in concluding amendments could compromise electoral planning.
They noted that Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 empowers INEC to issue notices of elections at least 360 days before polling. Ongoing legislative uncertainty, they argued, appears to have delayed the release of the 2027 election timetable, despite the current Act remaining operative until amended.
“INEC’s long-standing practice of conducting general elections on the third Saturday of February would place the 2027 election on February 20, requiring notice issuance by February 24, 2026,” they said.
The groups urged INEC to issue the election timetable without further delay to fulfil statutory obligations, provide certainty to political stakeholders, and establish baseline timelines that future amendments can modify through transitional provisions if necessary.
While acknowledging the Senate’s decision to convene an emergency plenary session, the CSOs urged lawmakers to adopt unambiguous provisions explicitly mandating real-time electronic transmission and collation of results, allowing downloadable missing and unissued voter cards, and preserving timelines for election notices and candidate nominations.
The coalition also presented recommendations to the conference committee tasked with harmonizing the Senate and House versions of the bill.
Electronic Transmission of Results
The groups urged adoption of the House position mandating electronic transmission while ensuring technology-neutral language to avoid dependence on specific platforms.
They proposed that Clause 60(3) be modified to read:
“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.”
They clarified that “real-time transmission” refers to uploading polling unit results immediately after counting and public declaration, in the presence of party agents and observers, ensuring public verification before physical collation. It does not imply electronic voting or automatic transmission of votes as ballots are cast.
The coalition also recommended adoption of the House provision permitting downloadable versions of uncollected or missing voter cards, citing INEC data indicating that about 6.2 million registered voters failed to collect PVCs in the 2023 elections, effectively disenfranchising them.
They also urged retention of existing timelines, 360 days for election notices, 180 days for submission of candidates, and 150 days for publication of nominations, warning that shorter timelines could create logistical and operational risks.
On provisions allowing INEC to review election results declared under duress or in violation of procedures, the CSOs criticized clauses restricting initiation of reviews to reports filed solely by INEC officials.
They argued that such limitations exclude political parties, candidates, agents, and accredited observers, even when credible evidence of manipulation exists.
The coalition therefore recommended broadening eligibility to file reports triggering result review to include parties, candidates, agents, and observers to enhance accountability and prevent institutional capture.
The groups called on conference committee members to prioritize national interest, institutional integrity, and democratic accountability in harmonizing the bill, urging swift conclusion of the amendment process and transmission of the final bill to the President within two weeks.
They also urged citizens and stakeholders to demand accountability from lawmakers by supporting provisions mandating real-time electronic transmission of results, reducing voter disenfranchisement through downloadable voter cards, and maintaining timelines necessary for credible elections.
Also speaking, the Director of Programmes at Yiaga Africa, Cynthia Mbamalu, noted that results for National Assembly, governorship and state assembly elections were successfully uploaded from the same polling units nationwide, proving that Nigeria has infrastructure to transmit election results from the polling unit.
Mbamalu argued that it is unfair to roll back reforms or claim that real-time transmission is impossible, stressing that Nigeria has consistently transmitted results electronically.
According to her, making transmission of results mandatory by law, guarantees transparency, allows voters track outcomes, and strengthens confidence that votes counted determine declared results.
On his part, the National Coordinator of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, noted that in real-time transmission, results are electronically sent from polling units immediately after counting, or from collation centres once totals are entered, not during voting or through electronic collation.
Citing INEC and NCC data, he added that about 93 per cent of polling units have connectivity, making objections misleading.
He urged senators to clarify their stance and encouraged INEC to promptly release the legally required 2027 election timetable.
