The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and the Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria have threatened to hold a National Day of Action over what they described as major flaws in the amended Electoral Act, especially the failure to make electronic transmission of results to the Independent National Electoral Commission Result Viewing Portal mandatory.

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday signed the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) into law at about 5 pm at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, with senior National Assembly officials in attendance, despite widespread demands for the law to make real-time electronic transmission of results from polling units mandatory.

The assent has since triggered a wave of reactions across the political space, with civil society organisations and other stakeholders renewing calls for compulsory real-time transmission of election results to strengthen transparency and public confidence in the electoral process.

In a statement released on Friday by the Co-Convener, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, Mma Odi, the civil society coalition added that it is working with the Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria to mobilise citizens for the planned National Day of Action.

Odi said swift presidential assent to the amended law did not address long-standing public demands for unambiguous provisions guaranteeing transparent result management.

She warned that the omission risks weakening electoral integrity and eroding public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.

“The amended law, in its current form, falls short of the minimum standards required to guarantee credible elections. The absence of a mandatory electronic transmission clause weakens electoral integrity safeguards.

“This decision threatens to reverse public confidence gains made in recent electoral cycles. An urgent review and corrective legislative action are required on the clause for electronic transmission to make it mandatory without conditions.

“The Situation Room and the Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria (MOTION) are also planning a National Day of Action in this regard and will make further announcements,” she said.

She recalled that post-election tribunals and courts after the 2023 general elections relied on precedents set by the Supreme Court of Nigeria in Oyetola v. INEC following the 2022 Osun governorship election, and later reaffirmed in Atiku v. INEC, to hold that the Electoral Act did not expressly mandate electronic transmission of results.

She noted that also argued this position in court, despite earlier commitments to deploy the technology.

“Electronic transmission of results is not merely a technological preference; it is a democratic accountability mechanism. By leaving its implementation subject to the availability of connectivity rather than being compulsory, the law introduces ambiguity that could be exploited to manipulate results, weaken verification processes, and erode citizens’ confidence in electoral outcomes.

“This contradicts years of reform advocacy, stakeholder consultations, and lessons learned from recent elections and election petitions”, she said.

The announcement comes as the Situation Room prepares to observe the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026. It said the poll, covering six area councils and more than 2,800 polling units.

The group warned that lingering doubts about transparent result transmission could further deepen voter apathy, particularly in urban councils such as the Abuja Municipal Area Council, where turnout was just over five per cent in the 2022 election.

Solomon Odeniyi

The PUNCH journalist, Solomon, has five years experience covering crime, judiciary and defence beats. (The PUNCH)

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