The Senate amended the Electoral Act to cut the 2027 election notice period to 300 days to avoid Ramadan and again rejected mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results, retaining manual backup where networks fail.
The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday amended Clause 28 of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2026, reducing the mandatory notice period for elections from 360 to 300 days to allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) adjust the 2027 general election timetable and avoid a clash with Ramadan, while also, for the second time in a week, rejecting mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results and retaining manual transmission where network failure occurs.
Leading the motion for rescission and recommittal, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said the 360-day requirement “may result in the scheduling of the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections within the period of Ramadan,” warning that such coincidence “could adversely affect voter turnout, logistical coordination, stakeholder engagement, and the overall inclusiveness and credibility of the electoral process.” After a rowdy session and division called by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe over Clause 60(3), 55 senators voted to retain the proviso allowing manual transmission in the event of network failure, a move Senate President Godswill Akpabio said had “just saved Nigeria’s democracy.”
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