As Nigeria’s National Assembly continues to deliberate on the Electoral Bill, Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, is calling for its immediate passage, citing its potential to significantly enhance election integrity and public trust.
The Electoral Bill contains several landmark provisions that have been long advocated for by citizens and civil society groups, including electronic transmission of election results, compulsory comparison between electronically transmitted results and hardcopy results, downloadable voter cards for inclusive voter accreditation, disciplinary authority over Resident Electoral Commissioners, and a mandatory digital register of party membership.
However, the bill also includes problematic provisions that require collective vigilance, such as restricting the filing of reports to INEC officials to activate the review of election results, an astronomical increase in the threshold for election expenses, and increasing individual donations to candidates from N50m to N500m.
“Despite these contradictions, passing this bill is one of the most important steps for rebuilding public trust in the electoral process,” said Samson Itodo. “The bill’s landmark provisions address ambiguities in current electoral law and will prevent conflicting interpretations and inconsistent application of rules for result transmission, collation, and voter accreditation.”
The delay in the Nigerian Senate’s passage of the bill is deeply concerning, given its approval by the House of Representatives in December 2025. Continuous delays will affect electoral preparations, increase legal uncertainty, and put the legitimacy of the 2025 elections at risk.
Yiaga Africa and other civil society organizations are urging the National Assembly to prioritize the passage of the Electoral Bill to ensure that INEC has the necessary legal clarity to develop guidelines for key electoral activities, including party primaries and the 2027 election timetable.
