President Bola Tinubu has defended his decision to sign the Electoral Act 2022 (Amendment) Bill into law, insisting that the changes are aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s democratic process rather than serving partisan interests.
The brief signing ceremony of the amendment bill, now Electoral 2026, took place at the President’s office at the State House, Abuja with Principal officers of the National Assembly (NASS) in attendance.
Speaking shortly after assenting to the amendments to the 2022 Electoral Act, the President said the reforms were informed by lessons learned from previous election cycles and were designed to improve the integrity and clarity of the electoral system.
“After every election cycle, we owe Nigerians an honest look at what worked and what must work better. That is how serious democracies behave, and our laws must grow with experience. Today, I signed the final amendments to the 2022 Electoral Act into law,” Tinubu said.
The President stressed that the amendments were focused on procedures and operational efficiency, amid criticism from opposition figures and civil society groups who have questioned certain provisions, particularly around electronic transmission of election results.
“These amendments are not about politics. They are about process. They are about closing gaps, strengthening procedures, and providing greater clarity to those who conduct and participate in our elections,” he said.
Tinubu underscored the importance of public trust in elections, noting that voter confidence must be built deliberately through transparent and credible processes.
“When citizens walk into a polling unit, they must do so with confidence. When results are declared, they must be trusted. That confidence is built deliberately, and not by chance,” Tinubu noted.
The amended law, which was recently passed by the National Assembly, has generated debate over provisions that grant discretion to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regarding the mode and procedure of transmitting election results.
Critics argue that the amendment process was an opportunity to make mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units, while supporters contend that the revisions provide necessary flexibility to address infrastructural and logistical realities across the country.
In his remarks, Tinubu expressed appreciation to lawmakers for what he described as their sense of national responsibility.
“I sincerely thank the National Assembly for its cooperation and sense of national responsibility in bringing this process to a successful conclusion. Our responsibility remains to keep improving the system so that the people’s will is expressed clearly, peacefully, and credibly,” he said.
The President reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to democratic consolidation, declaring that efforts to strengthen the nation’s electoral framework would continue.
“The work of strengthening our democracy continues, and we shall not relent,” Tinubu concluded.
The National Assembly had on Tuesday passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Amendment) Bill. The amendment comes amid intense public debate over the electronic transmission of election results in real time.
The harmonised report of the bill, including the contentious Section 60(3), was passed by both chambers on Tuesday.
