Nigeria’s House of Representatives has passed the Electoral Bill 2026, which aims to repeal the Electoral Act 2022 and strengthen the country’s legal framework for conducting elections.
The bill was passed on Tuesday during an emergency plenary session in Abuja, as part of preparations ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
Among the major reforms in the bill are:
- Mandatory release of election funds to INEC at least one year before the general elections.
- Extension of the Notice of Election timeline to 300 days before polling.
- Reduction of the candidate submission deadline from 180 to 120 days before elections.
- Statutory recognition of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
- Mandatory electronic transmission of polling unit results to the IReV portal.
- Minimum 10-year jail term for intentional false declaration or collation fraud.
- Legal backing for the IReV results viewing portal.
- Stronger mechanisms to detect and cancel overvoting.
- Clearer rules for INEC’s seven-day review of results declared under duress.
- Requirement for political parties to maintain digital membership registers.
The House said the bill addresses ambiguities exposed by recent election-related court cases and strengthens institutional safeguards to protect the integrity of the ballot.
Spokesman of the House, Rep. Akin Rotimi, said the legislation reflects the collective judgment of lawmakers in line with constitutional and parliamentary procedures.
He added that despite disagreements during debates, the ultimate goal remains the conduct of free, fair, and credible elections.
