The Electoral Act 2026, signed into law by President Bola Tinubu on February 18, 2026, introduces several major reforms to Nigeria's voting system.
**The Key Highlights of the Electoral Act 2026**
*1. Mandatory Electronic Transmission:* Polling unit results must now be electronically transmitted to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
However, manual Form EC8A results remain the legal fallback if digital systems fail, with penalties for non-compliance.
*2. Statutory Use of BVAS:*
The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) is officially codified as the sole mandatory method for voter accreditation.
*3. Abolition of Indirect Primaries:*
Political parties are now restricted to direct primaries or consensus methods for nominating candidates, effectively banning the delegate-based system.
*4. Revised Timelines:*
The Notice of Election is now issued 300 days before polling day (increased from the previous 180-day proposal).
Candidate lists must be submitted 90 to 120 days before the election.
*5. Campaign Spending Limits*: Increases spending limits for various elective positions, including presidential (₦5 billion to ₦10 billion), governorship (₦1 billion to ₦3 billion), and Senate (₦100 million to ₦500 million).
*6. Digital Innovations:* Registered voters can now download their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) directly from the INEC website to reduce disenfranchisement.
*7. Dedicated INEC Fund*: Establishes financial autonomy for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and mandates release of election funds at least six months before polls.
*8. Digital Party Registers*: Political parties must maintain and submit verified digital membership registers to INEC 21 days before primaries.
*9. Inclusion and Accessibility*: Introduces measures for improved accessibility, including queue separation between genders where culture demands and support mechanisms for visually impaired voters.
*10. Stricter Penalties:* Intentional false declarations or tampering with results now carry a mandatory minimum of 10 years imprisonment (without the option of a fine) for intentional false declarations or tampering with results, particularly at collation stages.
*Note that not all electoral offences carry this penalty*—other infractions (e.g., vote-buying, impersonation, result manipulation in general contexts, frustrating electronic transmission, or RECs withholding documents) attract lighter penalties like 2 years imprisonment, fines (e.g., N500,000–N2 million), or shorter terms (e.g., 6 months or 1–3 years in specific cases).
The 10-year minimum applies specifically to severe cases like intentional false declarations/tampering during collation or result falsification.
**The Status of SIECs and Local Elections**
The 2026 law retains the current structure where SIECs conduct local government elections.
*No Elimination:* While there was significant legislative debate regarding a bill to transfer local election powers to INEC following a 2024 Supreme Court ruling on local government autonomy, these provisions were not included in the final signed 2026 Act.
*Limited INEC Scope:* INEC remains responsible for Federal (Presidential/National Assembly) and State (Governorship/State Assembly) elections. SIECs continue to manage local government council polls.
*Caveat:* the new law does not mandate the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct all elections, nor does it eliminate State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs).
**Conclusion**
These reforms aim to enhance transparency, strengthen electoral integrity, and deepen democratic governance in Nigeria.
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