President Bola Tinubu has signed the Electoral Act Amendment 2026 into law, introducing major changes to Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The new Electoral Act mandates the electronic transmission of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to enhance transparency.
However, manual collation has been retained as a fallback in areas with poor telecommunications coverage.
The amendment also makes the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) the sole method for voter accreditation and reduces the statutory election notice period from 360 days to 300 days.
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In cases where a winning candidate is disqualified, the Electoral Act now requires a fresh election instead of declaring the runner-up winner.
While supporters describe the changes as a step forward for electoral reform, critics argue that retaining manual collation could leave room for manipulation.
Attention now turns to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as preparations begin for 2027.
