A coalition of civil society organisations, including the Kukah Centre and Yiaga Africa, on Monday handed the National Assembly a two-week ultimatum to conclude work on the Electoral Act amendment and explicitly retain mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results.
The groups also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to release the timetable for the 2027 general elections without delay.
The demands were made at a joint press conference in Abuja organised with the International Press Centre, TAF Africa, the Centre for Media and Society, the Nigerian Women Trust Fund and Elect Her.
Addressing journalists, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of TAF Africa, Mr Jake Epelle, urged members of the conference committee harmonising the amendment bill to place national interest above partisan calculations.
“We call on the conference committee to be guided by national interest, institutional integrity and democratic accountability in its deliberations,” Epelle said.
“We urge the National Assembly to conclude the amendment process and transmit the final bill to the President within two weeks.”
He noted that the Senate’s plan to convene an emergency plenary should be used as an opportunity for lawmakers to clearly affirm their position on real-time electronic transmission.
The coalition called on Nigerians to intensify engagement with their representatives, arguing that sustained public pressure was critical to protecting the integrity of the electoral process.
They recommended that the conference committee adopt the House of Representatives’ position on compulsory electronic transmission of results, downloadable Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and the preservation of statutory electoral timelines.
Epelle said real-time transmission would create an immutable digital record of results at the polling unit level, while downloadable PVCs would significantly reduce voter disenfranchisement.
He also urged INEC to immediately publish the 2027 election timetable, saying the move would provide certainty for political parties, candidates and civil society groups preparing for the polls.
Yiaga Africa’s Director of Programmes, Ms Cynthia Mbamalu, criticised what she described as attempts to reverse gains made in previous electoral reforms.
“It is unfair to reopen issues that were settled in the last reform cycle. It is also misleading to suggest that adopting this position will disenfranchise voters when INEC has indicated it has the capacity to implement it,” she said.
The ultimatum came as protesters gathered at the National Assembly complex under the banner Occupy National Assembly to oppose the Senate’s decision to remove the phrase “real-time” from provisions on electronic transmission of election results.
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, joined the demonstration alongside members of the Obidient Movement and other pro-democracy groups who accused lawmakers of weakening electoral safeguards ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a dramatic display, some protesters brought mattresses and pillows to the protest ground, with a few lying on them to signal their intention to remain until their demands were met.
The controversy follows the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill, 2026, in which the words “real-time” were deleted from the electronic transmission clause.
While the Senate has clarified that it did not reject electronic transmission, critics argue that removing the explicit requirement for real-time uploads creates loopholes that could undermine transparency during result collation.
The protesters insisted that the amended law must clearly mandate real-time electronic transmission of results from polling units to prevent a repeat of past disputes over result uploads and restore public confidence in the electoral system.