By Mary Onyia
The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has strongly condemned the Senate for passing what it described as a “watered-down and retrogressive” version of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2026, warning that the amendments threaten the credibility of future elections.
In a statement made available to the media, the coalition said the Senate’s version substantially departed from the progressive reforms earlier agreed by the Joint National Assembly Committees on Electoral Matters after consultations with key stakeholders.
“Rather than strengthening Nigeria’s electoral framework ahead of the 2027 General Elections, the Senate’s amendments weaken critical safeguards for transparency, credibility, and public trust in elections,” the group stated.
The group expressed particular concern over the removal of provisions that mandated real-time electronic transmission of results from polling units to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV). It noted that the reform enjoyed wide public support and was critical to reducing manipulation and restoring confidence in the electoral process.
“By making electronic transmission discretionary, the Senate has reopened loopholes that Nigeria’s electoral reforms were designed to close,” the statement added, stressing that the decision contradicted the position earlier adopted by the House of Representatives.
Situation Room also faulted the Senate for cutting the statutory timeline for the issuance of the Notice of Elections from 360 days to 180 days before polling.
According to the group, the existing timeline was carefully designed to allow INEC adequate time for voter registration, logistics, training of ad-hoc staff, nd voter education. Halving the period, it warned, would create operational pressure and increase the risk of avoidable failures.
The coalition further stated that compressed timelines would negatively affect political parties by squeezing internal processes and escalating disputes over primaries and nominations. This, it said, could trigger more pre-election litigation and destabilise the electoral calendar ahead of the 2027 general elections. It cautioned that the changes represented a troubling retreat from lessons of the 2023 polls, where delays in results transmission fuelled disputes and public mistrust.
It recalled that on January 28, 2026, the Situation Room led a peaceful protest at the National Assembly urging lawmakers to retain the version agreed by the Joint Committees. The Senate’s action, the group said, reflected disregard for citizen advocacy and broad stakeholder consensus on strengthening Nigeria’s electoral framework. “The Senate’s action reflects a troubling disregard for citizen advocacy and stakeholder consensus,” it emphasised.
While acknowledging that the Conference Harmonisation Committee is part of legislative procedure, the coalition urged that it must not be used to further weaken reforms. It called on the committee to retain mandatory real-time transmission of results and realistic electoral timelines in the final Bill, insisting that this remained the last opportunity to protect the integrity of the Electoral system.
The statement was jointly signed by Situation Room Convener, Yunusa Z. Ya’u, and Co-Conveners Mma Odi and Celestine Odo. Organisations in the coalition include Action Aid Nigeria, CITAD, CDD, PLAC, CLEEN Foundation, RULAAC, and JONAPWD.