CITAD urges senate to pass electoral amendment bill ahead 2027 polls

Bill

By Bosede Olufunmi

Kano, Feb. 4, 2026 (NAN). The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) on Wednesday, urged the Senate to pass the Electoral Amendment Bill 2025, noting that further delay could negatively affect preparations ahead the 2027 general elections.

The CITAD Executive Director, Mr Yunusa Zakari-Ya’u, made the call on Wednesday during an emergency news conference in Kano.

He said during 2023 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) assured Nigerians of the effective deployment of technology, particularly the electronic transmission of election results from polling and collation centres.

According to him, “assurance raise public confidence as electronic transmission was viewed as a major step towards transparency and accountability in the electoral process.

“INEC failure to fully implement electronic transmission of results, had serious legal implications, noting that, most election petitions from the 2023 polls were dismissed by the Supreme Court due to ambiguities in the Electoral Act”,he said.

He further explained that INEC refused to expressly mandate electronic transmission of results, while the courts relied on loopholes in the law, as it was not clearly stated as mandatory.

Zakari-Yau added that outcome of 2023 elections led to widespread calls for a review of the electoral act to prevent future misinterpretation.

“National Assembly, through its Committees on Electoral Matters, subsequently conducted consultations and public hearings across the country over the last two to three years, resulting in an agreed amendment bill.

“The bill makes electronic transmission of results mandatory, introduces stiffer penalties for INEC officials, who violate electoral laws, grants greater financial autonomy to INEC and strengthens internal party democracy”he said.

Zakari-Yau describe the proposed amendments as critical to restoring public confidence in the electoral process, noting the steady decline in voter turnout in recent elections.

He said House of Representatives passed the Electoral Amendment Bill in December 2025 after completing its legislative processes and that the bill now required concurrence by the Senate before being transmitted to the President for assent.

CITAD boss express disappointment that Senate proceed on recess at the end of 2025 without concluding work on the bill, describing the delay as risky, especially as INEC is legally required to publish the timetable for the 2027 general elections by April.

According to him, “failure to pass the bill before then could create uncertainty over the legal framework governing the 2027 polls.

He said similar situation in 2019, when delays in amending the Electoral Act led to the withholding of presidential assent due to time constraints, Ya’u urged the Senate to act swiftly to avoid a repeat of the setback and ensure credible elections in 2027. (NAN)