2027 Polls: CSO Slams Senate Over Delay in Electoral Act Amendment Bill

The Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room has criticised the Senate for delaying concurrence on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2025, warning that continued inaction could undermine public confidence in the electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The group made the call on Wednesday during an emergency press conference held at the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) office in Kano, following the Senate’s adjournment without taking a decision on the bill.

Speaking at the briefing, the Convener of the Situation Room, Comrade Y. Z. Ya’u, expressed concern that the Senate had yet to act on the amendment despite its passage by the House of Representatives in December 2025.

Ya’u warned that the delay could compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct the 2027 general elections under the existing Electoral Act, which he described as containing ambiguities capable of triggering fresh legal disputes.

He recalled that during the 2023 general elections, INEC assured Nigerians of the extensive use of technology, particularly the electronic transmission of results, to strengthen transparency and accountability. However, he noted that the failure to transmit results electronically later became a major subject of election petitions, with courts ruling that the law did not explicitly make such transmission mandatory.

According to him, the proposed amendment seeks to address these gaps by making electronic transmission of results compulsory, strengthening penalties for electoral offences, granting greater financial autonomy to INEC, and improving internal party democracy through clearer rules on party primaries and authenticated membership registers.

Ya’u said the bill was the product of extensive consultations and public hearings conducted by committees of both chambers of the National Assembly over the last two to three years.

“The House of Representatives has completed all legislative stages and passed the bill. What remains is concurrence by the Senate,” he said.

He further warned that INEC is legally required to release the 2027 election timetable by April, adding that failure to amend the law before then could weaken reforms and worsen voter apathy.

The Situation Room urged the Senate to reconvene and pass the bill urgently, describing it as a matter of national importance.

“The Senate must act with urgency and patriotism. This law should be passed immediately and transmitted to the President for assent, so Nigerians can be assured that improved electoral laws will govern the 2027 elections,” Ya’u said.