The controversy surrounding the proposed Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026, ahead of the 2027 general elections, intensified on Sunday as prominent activists under the banner of the Movement for Credible Elections (MCE) strongly condemned the Senate’s decision to remove mandatory electronic transmission of election results.
The coalition called on the Senate to immediately reinstate and pass compulsory electronic transmission, while also demanding that lawmakers who opposed the clause be publicly identified and held accountable.
The MCE, recently launched by a coalition of leading political and civil society figures, includes members of its Steering Council such as Dr Usman Bugaje, Prof. Pat Utomi, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo, Hajia Bilikisu Magoro, Comrade Ene Obi, Comrade Salisu Mohammed and Comrade Bala Zakka.
The condemnation came on the same day Senate President Godswill Akpabio insisted that the National Assembly would not be intimidated over the Electoral Act review process.
In a statement issued in Abuja by the MCE Media Coordinator, Comrade James Ezema, the group described the Senate’s action as a deliberate attempt to undermine Nigeria’s democratic aspirations.
According to the coalition, mandatory electronic transmission of results represents the minimum safeguard against result manipulation, ballot rewriting and post-election fraud.
“A newly launched coalition of political activists in Nigeria, the Movement for Credible Elections, categorically rejects the decision of the Senate to remove and refuse the mandatory electronic transmission of election results as proposed in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026,” the statement read.
The group accused lawmakers of choosing “opacity over transparency” and “elite conspiracy over the sovereign will of the people,” warning that failure to mandate electronic transmission would entrench electoral fraud and deepen voter apathy.
“This is not lawmaking; it is deliberate democratic sabotage,” MCE stated. “Any legislature that blocks mandatory electronic transmission is openly defending a system that thrives on stolen mandates and manufactured elections.”
The coalition warned that retaining the status quo would leave results vulnerable to manipulation between polling units and collation centres during the 2027 polls, potentially eroding public confidence in the electoral process.
MCE also accused the political elite of resisting technological transparency out of fear that it would expose corrupt electoral practices.
The group announced plans to proceed with mass civic action under the ‘Occupy NASS’ protest, urging Nigerians, civil society groups, students, workers, professionals, community leaders, the media and the international community to mobilise peacefully.
It further disclosed plans to converge in Lagos on Monday, February 9, to address the international community on the dangers of another disputed election in Nigeria.
‘We Will Not Be Intimidated’ — Akpabio
Reacting to the criticism, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the Senate would not be pressured into taking decisions that could undermine democracy, insisting that the amendment process was still ongoing.
Akpabio spoke at the public presentation of a book titled The Burden of Legislators in Nigeria, authored by Senator Effiong Bob, at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja.
“We have not passed the votes and proceedings. There is still harmonisation,” Akpabio said. “Why abuse the Senate when what we have is incomplete?”
He explained that lawmakers only agreed to remove the words ‘real time’ from Clause 60(3) to allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the flexibility to determine the mode and timing of result transmission.
“If you make it mandatory and the system fails, there will be a catastrophe,” Akpabio said, citing poor network coverage, electricity challenges and insecurity in parts of the country.
“Technology must save and not endanger democracy,” he added.
The Senate President emphasised that electronic transmission remains part of the law, noting that the amendment retains the framework already provided under the 2022 Electoral Act, while leaving operational details to INEC.
Several senators, including members of the Minority Caucus, also clarified that the Senate did not reject electronic transmission outright, but merely declined to impose a strict real-time requirement.
Background
The National Assembly is finalising amendments to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026, which will govern the conduct of the 2027 general elections.
At the centre of the controversy is Clause 60(3), which deals with the transmission of results from polling units. While civil society groups and reform advocates have pushed for mandatory real-time electronic uploads to INEC’s IReV portal, some lawmakers argue that Nigeria’s infrastructure constraints could make such a requirement impractical and legally risky.
The bill is expected to proceed to a harmonisation committee between the Senate and House of Representatives before being transmitted to the President for assent.
As debates continue, the issue has emerged as one of the most critical fault lines in Nigeria’s quest for credible, transparent and trustworthy elections in 2027.