President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday signed the amended Electoral Act into law less than 24 hours after its passage by the National Assembly, surprising opposition figures and civil society organisations that had urged him to withhold assent.
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) had earlier warned that provisions in the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) Bill contained ambiguities capable of undermining transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement issued by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, James Ezema, after consultations with stakeholders, election observers, and constitutional experts, the CNPP expressed concern about a clause allowing presiding officers to rely on Form EC8A for result collation if alleged network failure prevents electronic transmission. The coalition argued that while connectivity challenges may occur in remote areas, the amendment does not define a clear or verifiable system for determining genuine network outages.
The group said the absence of independent or technological verification leaves the decision entirely at the discretion of polling officials, which it warned could create loopholes for manipulation. It added that modern electoral systems should be based on measurable, auditable, and tamper-proof procedures, cautioning that the new provision could weaken safeguards introduced in recent reforms.
The coalition also warned that inconsistencies between public network access and official claims of outages could fuel distrust, confrontation, and potential security risks for officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
While acknowledging Nigeria’s progress with digital accreditation and electronic result transmission, the CNPP said the amendment risks reversing those gains by reopening pathways for manual collation without strict oversight. It urged the president to return the bill with recommendations, including real-time network verification integrated with telecom systems, multi-layer authentication before manual collation, sanctions for false outage declarations, and third-party monitoring accessible to parties and observers.
Despite mounting opposition from civil society groups, political parties, and activists, Tinubu signed the bill at the State House Abuja around 5 p.m., witnessed by senior lawmakers who had fast-tracked its passage a day earlier.
The debate has centred on real-time electronic transmission of polling-unit results to INEC servers, which reform advocates consider crucial for reducing vote manipulation. Protesters recently demonstrated at the National Assembly demanding mandatory live uploads, while some ruling-party figures argued that inconsistent rural network coverage makes a hybrid electronic-manual system more practical.
As of the time of reporting, civil society organisations including ActionAid and Yiaga Africa had expressed surprise at the swift presidential assent, while major opposition politicians had yet to issue formal reactions.
ELIJAH ADEYEMI
No comments:
Post a Comment