Senate President Godswill Akpabio says the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will ensure that every Nigerian vote counts and eliminate the manipulation of results.

Akpabio spoke with State House correspondents on Wednesday shortly after Tinubu assented to the bill in the presence of principal officers of the national assembly.

“At the end, Nigerians will benefit a lot from future elections. Every vote will now count,” he said.

The senate president stated that the amendment addresses the longstanding issue of result manipulation between polling units and collation centres. He noted that, for the first time since independence in 1960, Nigeria’s electoral law formally recognises electronic transmission of results.

According to him, the amended act mandates the electronic transmission of polling unit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission result viewing portal (IReV).

Akpabio said the provision responds to demands by civil society organisations, opposition parties and election observers following allegations of result manipulation during the 2023 general election.

He, however, said the law makes allowances for areas with poor telecommunications infrastructure.

“We took cognisance of areas where there may not be any network, where there may not be communication capacities and availability,” he said.

He explained that the EC8A form, signed by the presiding officer and party agents in the presence of security personnel, would serve as the primary source of collation at the polling unit level.

“Even if there is no network at that time, once we step out of there, maybe towards the ward centre or the local government centre, it will drop into the iREV, and people will still be able to view,” he added.

Akpabio said the new framework allows Nigerians to compare results uploaded on the portal with figures collated at ward, local government and state levels.

“The implication of that is that if what is eventually collated at the next centre is different from what is in the iREV, Nigerians will be able to compare whether the election result had been tampered with,” he said.

He dismissed claims that the national assembly yielded to political pressure in passing the amendment, insisting that lawmakers acted in the interest of Nigerians. He added that the senate cut short its holiday to conclude work on the legislation.

Akpabio also said the amendment introduces direct primaries for political parties, enabling members to vote directly for candidates of their choice rather than relying solely on delegate systems.

In addition, he said the law provides that where a court disqualifies a declared winner, a fresh election must be conducted instead of declaring the runner-up as winner.

“We don’t want a situation where, in an election, you have five people contesting, one person scores 300,000 votes, one person scores 290,000, and then, for one reason or another, he’s disqualified by the court, and then the person who scored 1,000, who is not popularly elected, will now be declared a winner,” he said.

He added that the same principle applies to governorship elections, where candidates must meet constitutional spread requirements.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, who also addressed journalists, said the amendment reduces the election notice period from 360 days to 300 days.

He said the adjustment would likely result in the presidential and national assembly elections being held in January 2027, thereby avoiding the Ramadan period and reducing the risk of voter apathy.

The amendment was signed into law days after INEC released the timetable for the 2027 general elections.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on Christians and Muslims across Nigeria to use the sacred seasons of Lent and Ramadan to deepen unity, promote peace and pray for the nation’s progress and security.

In a message to the faithful on Tuesday, the President described the rare coincidence of Lent and Ramadan commencing on the same day as a powerful symbol of shared faith and common purpose among Nigerians.

“With profound reverence to God Almighty, I greet the Christian and Muslim faithful on the solemn occasions of Lent and Ramadan,” the President said.

Noting that the simultaneous observance is uncommon, Tinubu said it serves as a reminder that Nigerians, though diverse in religious expression, are “one people under God.”

Call to Reflection and Sacrifice

The President described Lent as a sacred period for Christians marked by fasting, abstinence and penitence, rooted in the example of Jesus Christ’s 40-day fast in the wilderness before His crucifixion. He said the season calls believers to spiritual discipline, sacrifice and reflection on Christ’s suffering and the salvation it brought to humanity.

On Ramadan, Tinubu noted that the holy month represents total submission to God Almighty in Islam, emphasising sacrifice, devotion, service and communal love. He described the fast as not only an act of obedience but also a period of deep spiritual reflection, charity and renewed commitment to faith.

Appeal for Peace and National Stability

“As a nation and as a people, I urge us, as we embark on these important observances, to ensure good neighbourliness, promote peace, unity, and stability, and pray for the progress and security of our nation,” the President stated.

He encouraged Nigerians to live out the core values of their respective faiths, stressing the importance of honouring both divine obligations and responsibilities to fellow citizens.

“Let us live by the good precepts of our faiths and be honourable in our duty to God and fellow humans,” he added.

The President concluded with prayers that the lessons, blessings and spiritual renewal associated with Lent and Ramadan would extend beyond the fasting period and foster lasting harmony and joy across the country.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, has warned that vote buying will not be tolerated during the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council elections scheduled for February 21.

Amupitan gave the warning on Wednesday at a high-level stakeholders’ forum in Abuja, where he outlined the commission’s preparations and reaffirmed its commitment to a peaceful, transparent and credible electoral process.

According to him, more than 1.6 million registered voters are expected to participate in the elections across 2,822 polling units. A total of 570 candidates will contest for 68 elective positions in the six area councils of the FCT.

He said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would be deployed in all polling units, while results would be uploaded in real time to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal to enhance transparency.

The INEC chairman disclosed that 89 observer groups and 700 journalists have been accredited to monitor the exercise. He added that multiple security agencies would be deployed to maintain order throughout the polls.

Amupitan specifically noted that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) would be on ground to deter vote trading and other electoral offences.

“Any individual found buying or selling votes will be apprehended and dealt with in accordance with the law,” he said.

He stressed that vote trading undermines the sanctity of the ballot and erodes public confidence in democratic institutions.

On logistics, Amupitan said 1,132 vehicles, 620 motorcycles and 14 boats would be deployed to ensure timely movement of personnel and election materials, adding that there must be no lapses on election day.

Polling units are expected to open at 8:30 a.m., following consultations with transport unions to guarantee early distribution of materials.

Reaffirming INEC’s neutrality, Amupitan said the commission does not have a preferred candidate or political party.

“Our mandate is clear: to provide the enabling environment for residents of the Federal Capital Territory to freely choose their representatives,” he said.

He called on political parties, candidates and their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully and urged security agencies to remain professional and impartial during the exercise.