By Bosede Olufunmi
The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has urged the Senate to urgently pass the Electoral Amendment Bill 2025, warning that further delay could negatively affect preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The Executive Director of CITAD, Mr Yunusa Zakari-Ya’u made the call on Wednesday during an emergency news conference in Kano.
Zakari-Ya’u recalled that during the 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, the assurance raised public confidence, as electronic transmission was widely viewed as a major step toward transparency and accountability in the electoral process.
However, he said INEC’s failure to fully implement electronic transmission of results had serious legal implications, noting that most election petitions arising from the 2023 polls were dismissed by the Supreme Court due to ambiguities in the Electoral Act.
“INEC failed to expressly mandate electronic transmission of results, while the courts relied on loopholes in the law, as the provision was not clearly stated as mandatory,” he said.
Zakari-Ya’u added that the outcome of the 2023 elections led to widespread calls for a review of the Electoral Act to prevent future misinterpretation.
He explained that the 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-Ya’u described 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 the House of Representatives passed the Electoral Amendment Bill in December 2025 after completing its legislative processes, adding that the bill now requires concurrence by the Senate before being transmitted to the President for assent.
The CITAD boss expressed disappointment that the Senate proceeded 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.
“Failure to pass the bill before then could create uncertainty over the legal framework governing the 2027 polls,” he said.
Recalling a similar situation in 2019, when delays in amending the Electoral Act led to the withholding of presidential assent due to time constraints, Zakari-Ya’u urged the Senate to act swiftly to avoid a repeat of the setback and ensure credible elections in 2027.
