Adopt House Version of Electoral Amendment Bill – CNPP to Senate

By Chinedu Echianu

The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has called on the National Assembly’s Conference Committee to adopt the House of Representatives’ version of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2026.

A statement signed by CNPP’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Comrade James Ezema  on Thursday warns that failure to mandate electronic transmission of election results could undermine Nigeria’s democracy.

CNPP, an umbrella body for registered political parties and political associations in Nigeria, says the House version of the bill, which provides for compulsory electronic transmission of results and real-time upload of polling unit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV), better serves the national interest.

The group criticised the Senate for retaining provisions from the Electoral Act 2022 that give INEC discretionary powers over the mode of transmitting election results and accreditation data.

According to the CNPP, the Senate’s position is “anti-democratic” and poses a serious risk to public confidence in the electoral process.

“The retention of discretionary powers on electronic transmission preserves systemic weaknesses that have historically enabled electoral malpractice,” the statement said, adding that the experience of the 2023 general elections highlighted the dangers of failing to enforce real-time electronic transmission of results.

The CNPP noted that the House of Representatives’ amendments would make electronic transmission mandatory, compel presiding officers to upload results immediately after declaration at polling units, and remove INEC’s discretion over how results are transmitted. It described these measures as the minimum safeguards required to ensure transparent and credible elections.

Referencing the Supreme Court’s October 2023 ruling, which upheld INEC’s wide discretionary powers under the current law, the CNPP warned that retaining similar provisions in the amended bill could have far-reaching legal and operational consequences. These include increased risks of result manipulation, growing voter apathy, weakened institutional accountability, and limited grounds for legal challenges in election disputes.

While acknowledging concerns about network coverage and other operational challenges, the CNPP argued that flexibility should not come at the expense of accountability. It maintained that without clear legal obligations, the IReV portal could become merely symbolic, with no enforceable consequences for non-compliance.

The group urged the Conference Committee to fully adopt the House provisions, remove all discretionary clauses on result transmission, compel presiding officers to upload results in real time, and make failure to do so a punishable electoral offence, except under clearly defined and verifiable circumstances.

“Nigeria stands at a critical democratic crossroads,” the CNPP said, stressing that mandatory electronic transmission of results has become a global standard and is essential for democratic stability, national unity, and peaceful political transitions.