President Bola Tinubu has signed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill, 2026 into law, following its passage by the National Assembly on Tuesday after months of deliberation.

The President assented to the bill at the State House on Wednesday in the presence of senior government officials, including Senate President, Sen. Godswill Akpabio; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas; and the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.

Tinubu said the essence of democracy lies in robust discussions committed to national development and nation-building, which are vital to the nation’s stability. He added that it was time for Nigerians to have confidence in their democratic system.

“It’s not as important as the historical aspects of this. What is crucial is the fact that you manage the process to the extent that there will be no confusion, no disenfranchisement of Nigerians, and that we are all going to see democracy flourish.

“No matter how good the system is, it’s managed by the people, promoted by the people, and the result is finalised by the people,” the President said.

Addressing ongoing debates over the transmission of election results, Tinubu noted: “In fact, for final results, you are not going to be talking to the computer; you are going to be talking to human beings who will announce the final results.

“And when you look at the crux of various arguments, maybe Nigerians should question our broadband capability. How technically advanced are we today? How technically advanced will we be tomorrow to answer the call of either real-time transmission or otherwise?

“As long as you appear personally as a manual voter in any polling booth, a ballot paper is given to you manually, you decide in a corner and thumbprint the candidate of your choice, you cast your vote without hindrance or interference, ballots are subsequently sorted and counted manually.”

He stressed that the arithmetic accuracy would then be entered into Form EC8A, describing the process as essentially manual. “The transmission of that manual result is what we are looking at.

“And we need to avoid glitches — interference and unnecessary hacking in this age of computer inquisitiveness.

“Nigeria will be there. We will flourish. We will continue to nurture this democracy for the fulfilment of our dream for the prosperity and stability of our country,” he added.

The bill has generated heated debate over the past week, with lawmakers and prominent Nigerians divided over the method of transmitting results ahead of the 2027 general elections.

On Tuesday, the Senate passed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill, 2026, following a rowdy session in the upper chamber. Proceedings resumed with a demand for division over Clause 60 raised by Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe (ADC/Abia South).

Akpabio stated that he believed the demand had earlier been withdrawn, but several opposition senators objected.

Citing Order 52(6), Deputy Senate President, Sen. Barau Jibrin, argued that it would be out of order to revisit any provision on which the Senate President had already ruled. The submission triggered another uproar, during which Sen. Sunday Karimi had a brief face-off with Abaribe.

Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, reminded lawmakers that he had sponsored the motion for rescission, stressing that previous decisions of the Senate were no longer valid. He maintained that Abaribe’s demand was consistent with that motion.

Akpabio suggested that the call for division was an attempt by Abaribe to publicly demonstrate his stance. He sustained the point of order, after which Abaribe rose in protest and was urged to move his motion formally.

Rising under Order 72(1), Abaribe called for a division on Clause 60(3), specifically concerning the provision that, where electronic transmission fails, Form EC8A should not serve as the sole basis for collation. He sought the removal of the proviso allowing manual transmission of results in the event of network failure.

During the division, Akpabio directed senators who supported the caveat to stand, and then those opposed to rise. Fifteen opposition senators stood against the proviso. When the votes were counted, Akpabio announced that 15 senators opposed the proviso, while 55 supported it.

Earlier, proceedings were momentarily stalled during clause-by-clause consideration of the bill following a motion to rescind an earlier amendment. The motion was formally seconded on Tuesday, paving the way for the Senate to dissolve into the Committee of the Whole for detailed reconsideration and re-enactment.

As Akpabio reeled out the clauses for deliberation, proceedings stalled at Clause 60 when Abaribe raised a point of order, prompting consultations and murmurs across the chamber. The Senate subsequently moved into a closed-door session.

A similar scenario played out in the House of Representatives, where lawmakers disagreed over a motion seeking to rescind the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, which had provided for real-time electronic transmission of results.

Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Hon. Francis Waive, moved the motion to rescind the decision taken on December 23, aligning the House with the Senate’s position on real-time electronic transmission.

When Abbas put the motion to a voice vote, the “nays” appeared louder than the “ayes”, but he ruled that the ayes had it. The decision triggered protests, with lawmakers shouting in objection, prompting the Speaker to call for an executive session.

When the House passed the Electoral Act in December 2025, it had adopted compulsory real-time transmission of results to the IReV portal.