The Centre for Information Technology and Development, has urged the Senate to ensure passage of the Electoral Amendment Bill 2025, warning that further delay could undermine preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The Executive Director of CITAD, Yunua Zakari Ya’u made the call while addressing newsmen at an emergency press briefing in Kano on Wednesday .
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Ya’u, who also serves as the Convener of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, expressed concern that the Senate was yet to act on the bill despite its passage by the House of Representatives.
“We are calling on the Senate to ensure speedy passage of the Electoral Amendment Bill 2025, because delay can undermine preparations against the 2027 general elections,” he said.
Ya’u recalled that during the 2023 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission assured Nigerians of the effective deployment of technology, particularly the electronic transmission of election results from polling and collation centres to the final collation point.
“Nigerians were pleased with INEC’s assurances because electronic transmission was seen as a major step towards accountability and transparency in the electoral process,” he said.
He, however, noted that INEC eventually failed to fully implement electronic transmission of results, a development that had far-reaching legal consequences.
“Historically, electoral malpractice in Nigeria has often taken place during collation and tabulation of results, not just voting. That was why citizens welcomed the idea of electronic transmission as a safeguard against manipulation,” Ya’u said.
According to him, when election disputes from the 2023 polls reached the Supreme Court, most petitions were dismissed due to ambiguities in the law, as the Electoral Act did not explicitly mandate INEC to transmit results electronically.
“The courts relied on the loopholes in the law. Since electronic transmission was not clearly stated as mandatory, the petitions failed on that technical ground,” he added.
Ya’u said the outcome of the 2023 elections prompted widespread calls by Nigerians for a comprehensive review of the Electoral Act to prevent future misinterpretations.
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He explained that, in response, the National Assembly, through its Committees on Electoral Matters, embarked on extensive consultations and public hearings across the country over the past two to three years.
“These efforts produced an agreed amendment bill that clearly mandates electronic transmission of election results,” he said.
He added that the bill also introduced stiffer penalties for INEC officials who violate electoral laws or engage in rigging, grants greater financial autonomy to INEC, and strengthens internal party democracy by requiring political parties to conduct primaries using an authenticated register of members.
He described the provisions as critical to restoring public confidence in the electoral process, noting that voter turnout had continued to decline in recent years.
“Low voter turnout is a clear sign of declining trust. People no longer believe that their votes count. A transparent system is the only way to rebuild that confidence,” he said.
The Executive Director noted that the House of Representatives passed the Electoral Amendment Bill in December 2025 after completing its first, second and third readings, adding that the bill now required concurrence by the Senate before it could be transmitted to the President for assent.
He expressed disappointment that the Senate went on a prolonged recess at the end of last year without concluding work on the Bill.
“Nigerians expected that when the Senate resumed on January 27, 2026, this Bill would be treated as a priority. Unfortunately, that has not happened,” Ya’u lamented.
He warned that the delay was particularly dangerous given INEC’s legal obligation to publish the timetable for the 2027 general elections by April.
“If the bill is not passed before then, there will be uncertainty over which version of the Electoral Act will guide the 2027 elections,” he said.
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He recalled a similar situation in 2019, when delays in amending the Electoral Act led former President Muhammadu Buhari to withhold assent, citing insufficient time for INEC to implement the changes.
“Nigeria missed a crucial opportunity for electoral reform then, and we risk repeating the same mistake now if the Senate fails to act with urgency,” he added..
