The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, has called on the bipartisan Conference Committee of the National Assembly to adopt the House of Representatives’ version of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2026, describing it as critical to improving electoral transparency and credibility in Nigeria.
In a statement issued out to journalists on Friday by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, James Ezema, the CNPP said the House version, which makes electronic transmission of election results mandatory, represents a more credible framework for conducting free, fair, and verifiable elections.
According to the CNPP, the House bill expressly compels presiding officers to upload polling unit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Result Viewing Portal in real time immediately after collation at polling units, thereby eliminating discretion in the transmission of results.
The group, however, criticised the Senate for retaining provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 that grant INEC discretionary powers over the mode and manner of transmitting election results and accreditation data.
The CNPP described the Senate’s position as “unacceptable and anti-democratic,” warning that it could undermine public confidence in the electoral process and pose serious risks to Nigeria’s democratic stability.
It argued that the retention of discretionary provisions preserves vulnerabilities that have historically enabled electoral malpractice, particularly during manual collation processes between polling units and collation centres.
The organisation referenced the 2023 general elections, noting that the absence of enforced real-time electronic transmission of results generated widespread controversy, loss of public trust, and extensive post-election litigation.
The CNPP also cited the October 2023 Supreme Court ruling, which upheld INEC’s discretionary powers under the Electoral Act 2022, warning that maintaining the same framework would expose future elections to similar disputes and legal uncertainties.
While acknowledging infrastructural challenges such as poor network coverage in some areas, the group insisted that flexibility should not override accountability. It warned that discretionary electronic transmission weakens electoral justice by limiting the ability of aggrieved parties to rely on electronic transmission failures as evidence in election petitions.
The CNPP further cautioned that failure to mandate electronic transmission could deepen voter apathy and erode trust in the democratic process, stressing that credible elections depend on public confidence that votes are accurately recorded and transmitted.
Describing mandatory electronic transmission as a global democratic standard, the CNPP urged lawmakers not to treat it as negotiable in Nigeria’s electoral reform process.
The group called on the Conference Committee of the National Assembly to adopt the House provisions mandating real-time electronic transmission of results, remove discretionary clauses granting INEC unilateral authority over result transmission, and provide statutory penalties for failure to electronically transmit results, except in clearly defined exceptional circumstances.
The CNPP reaffirmed its commitment to working with voters, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders to advocate reforms that promote transparency, accountability, and electoral justice, warning that history would judge the National Assembly by its commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s electoral integrity rather than political expediency.
CNPP urges NASS committee to adopt Reps’ electoral Act amendment, faults senate on e-transmission