The National Assembly has unveiled sweeping reforms in the newly enacted Electoral Act, 2026, including stricter penalties for electoral misconduct and measures to guarantee the financial autonomy of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 general election.
The reforms, the culmination of two years of legislative engagement, were highlighted by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele in Abuja. Key provisions include a two-year jail term for any Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) who withholds vital electoral documents, mandatory electronic transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV), and the creation of a dedicated fund for INEC to ensure operational stability and early release of election funds.
While the Presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) defend the Act as necessary to deepen democracy and strengthen electoral integrity, opposition parties have criticised some provisions on primaries, campaign funding, and election timelines as favouring the ruling party.
Key Reforms in the Electoral Act 2026:
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Technological Integration: INEC must deploy a Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, maintain an electronic voters register, and ensure electronic transmission of polling unit results, with conditional fallback to Form EC8A if communications fail.
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Stricter Penalties: Section 74 mandates RECs to release requested certified documents within 24 hours; failure attracts two years imprisonment. Sections 60 and 125 stiffen penalties for electoral fraud, vote-buying, impersonation, and result manipulation, with fines ranging from N500,000 to N2 million or two years imprisonment.
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Financial Autonomy: Section 3 establishes a dedicated fund for INEC, mandating release of election funds at least six months before general elections to enable operational independence and quick corrective action.
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Political Party Oversight: Sections 77 and 84 phase out indirect primaries, mandate digital registers of party members, and link eligibility to field candidates with timely submission of membership registers. Parties failing to submit accurate audited returns face fines up to N10 million.
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Campaign Spending Limits: Spending caps have been revised upwards:
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Presidential: N5bn → N10bn
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Governorship: N1bn → N3bn
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Senate: N500m → N1bn
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House of Representatives: N70m → N250m
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House of Assembly: N30m → N100m
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Area Council: N30m → N60m
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Councillorship: N5m → N10m
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Inclusion Measures: Gender-sensitive queue arrangements where culture requires separation of men and women, and accessibility provisions for persons with visual impairments.
Bamidele emphasised that the Act consolidates Nigeria’s electoral governance framework, enhancing transparency, accountability, technological integration, and institutional independence while imposing stronger regulation on political parties.
The legislation, passed and signed within 24 hours, reflects a collaborative process with inputs from the Office of the Attorney-General, civil society organisations, INEC, and development partners, according to the Senate leadership.
