The Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, has detailed sweeping amendments introduced by the National Assembly in the Electoral Act, 2026, describing the new legislation as a bold step toward strengthening Nigeria’s electoral system ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Among the key changes, Bamidele said the Act abolishes indirect primaries, mandates digital membership registers for political parties, increases penalties for electoral offences, and significantly raises campaign spending limits.

He explained that the law establishes a dedicated funding framework for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), guarantees the mandatory electronic transmission of election results, and requires the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter verification. These reforms, he noted, are designed to enhance transparency, accountability, and public confidence in the electoral process.

In a statement issued by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, Bamidele said the legislation followed two years of consultations with critical stakeholders, including INEC, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, civil society organisations, and development partners. He added that both chambers of the National Assembly harmonised contentious provisions in the bill before forwarding it to Bola Tinubu for assent, thereby preventing any constitutional complications ahead of 2027.

President Tinubu signed the bill into law within 24 hours of its passage. While some civil society groups questioned the speed of assent, Bamidele insisted the process reflected broad national consensus, as stakeholders were actively involved throughout drafting and review stages.

According to him, Section 3 of the Act creates a dedicated fund for INEC to ensure financial autonomy and operational stability. Election funds must now be released at least six months before general elections, and INEC is empowered to review questionable results declared under duress or in breach of procedure.

Section 47 mandates the deployment of BVAS or any INEC-approved technological device for voter accreditation, while Section 60(3) makes electronic transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) compulsory. Any presiding officer who deliberately disrupts electronic transmission faces six months’ imprisonment, a ₦500,000 fine, or both under Section 60(6). However, manual transmission using Form EC8A is permitted only where genuine technical challenges prevent electronic upload.

On party primaries, Section 84 abolishes indirect primaries, retaining only direct and consensus methods to widen participation and reduce delegate monetisation. Section 77 further compels political parties to maintain digital membership registers and submit them to INEC at least 21 days before primaries or conventions, with non-compliant parties barred from fielding candidates.

Campaign finance limits have also been reviewed upward under Section 92: ₦10 billion for presidential candidates, ₦3 billion for governorship, ₦500 million for Senate, ₦250 million for House of Representatives, ₦100 million for State Assembly, ₦60 million for Area Council, and ₦10 million for councillorship elections.

Section 125 prescribes tougher sanctions for offences such as vote buying, impersonation, and result manipulation, including up to two years’ imprisonment or fines between ₦500,000 and ₦2 million, or both.

Additional provisions include gender-sensitive voting arrangements (Section 49), special voting assistance for persons with visual impairment (Section 54), and a ₦10 million fine for political parties that fail to submit accurate audited financial reports within the stipulated timeframe under Section 93(4).

Bamidele described the Electoral Act, 2026 as a comprehensive reform that consolidates Nigeria’s electoral governance framework, promotes INEC’s financial independence, strengthens technological safeguards, enhances transparency in collation and declaration of results, and imposes stricter regulations on political parties to deepen democratic governance.