It was a shocker for opposition politicians and civil society organisations on Wednesday as President Bola Tinubu signed the amended Electoral Act just barely 24 hours after it was passed by the National Assembly.
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) had earlier called on President Tinubu to withhold assent to the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) Bill, citing what it described as dangerous ambiguities capable of undermining electoral transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement after consultations with political stakeholders, civil society organisations, election observers and constitutional experts, the CNPP expressed deep concern over a controversial provision in the amendment that allows Presiding Officers to rely on Form EC8A for result collation in cases of alleged network failure preventing electronic transmission.
The coalition argued in the statement by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, James Ezema, that while technological limitations may exist in remote areas, the amendment fails to establish a clear, transparent and verifiable framework for determining when network failure has genuinely occurred.
According to the CNPP, the bill did not provide any independent or technological verification procedure to confirm network availability or outage at polling units.
The group warned that leaving the determination of network failure solely at the discretion of polling officials creates a loophole that could be exploited for electoral manipulation.
“In modern electoral governance, transparency must be anchored on measurable, auditable and tamper-proof procedures,” the statement read, adding that the amendment weakens safeguards introduced through recent electoral reforms.
The CNPP also raised concerns about potential security risks to officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It noted that in many communities, citizens can easily verify network availability using personal mobile devices, adding that any contradiction between public network access and claims of network failure by electoral officials, it said, could trigger distrust, confrontation and possible breakdown of law and order.
The coalition warned that such ambiguities may expose INEC officials to public suspicion and hostility, thereby endangering their safety and undermining the credibility of the electoral process.
The CNPP further argued that Nigeria has made incremental progress in strengthening electoral transparency through electronic transmission of results and digital accreditation systems.
It cautioned that the proposed amendment risks reversing those gains by reopening avenues for manual collation processes that lack strict oversight and regulatory safeguards.
According to the group, reintroducing incident-form style procedures without clear accountability measures could erode public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system.
The coalition urged President Tinubu to return the bill to the National Assembly with specific recommendations that incorporate technology-driven verification protocols for determining network failure.
It described such action as a demonstration of democratic commitment and statesmanship, particularly as the country approaches the 2027 general elections.
Among other measures, the CNPP proposed, “Establishment of an independent real-time network verification system integrated with telecommunications infrastructure, mandatory multi-layer authentication and timestamp verification before manual collation can be activated, clear accountability measures and sanctions for officials found to have falsely declared network failure and provision for third-party monitoring of network status accessible to political parties and observers.”
The CNPP reiterated its commitment to credible, transparent and technologically driven elections, stressing that electoral laws should eliminate grey areas rather than create new vulnerabilities.
It maintained that withholding assent to the amendment in its current form would serve the national interest and help safeguard Nigeria’s democratic stability ahead of the 2027 polls.
However, despite mounting opposition to the Bill by CNPP, Nigerians and opposition political parties, President Tinubu went ahead to append his signature to the Bill just days after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) unveiled its 2027 election roadmap.
The assent unfolded at the State House, Abuja, around 5pm, with top National Assembly leaders witnessing the historic moment. Lawmakers had fast-tracked the bill’s passage on Tuesday.
Tensions boiled over the burning issue of real-time electronic transmission of polling unit results to INEC’s servers, a provision activists said is key to curbing vote rigging.
Last week, civil society groups and opposition heavyweights stormed the National Assembly in protests, demanding that lawmakers embed mandatory live uploads to boost electoral trust.
Protesters insisted that deploying technology would slash manipulation risks, but the APC chieftains countered that spotty rural networks make it impractical, pushing instead for a hybrid model blending electronic and manual methods.
As of the time of this report, some CSOs, including ActionAid and Yiaga Africa, have already expressed surprise over the development.
However, key opposition politicians are yet to react to the President’s signing of the amended Act.
2027: Opposition, CSOs in shock as Tinubu ignores protests, signs Electoral Act
