Senate President Godswill Akpabio has described the newly signed Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re‑Enactment) Bill 2026 as a historic and carefully considered piece of legislation that reflects the majority’s hopes for credible elections.
His remarks came shortly after President Bola Tinubu gave assent to the bill on Wednesday, making it law.
Addressing journalists at the State House following the signing, Akpabio said lawmakers had been thorough and patriotic in their approach, even as the measure generated intense debate ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He maintained that the law captures the genuine aspirations of Nigerians, not “a few people who make noise,” stressing that public discourse should be distinguished from the substantive work of lawmaking. “Noise is different from lawmaking,” he added.
Highlighting what he called a landmark development, the Senate President pointed to the formal legal recognition of electronic transmission of results.
Under the new law, results issued at polling units are expected to appear on the IReV portal even in areas with poor network coverage, Akpabio said, enabling citizens and observers to track results as they are transmitted and helping guard against manipulation.
Akpabio also noted other reforms included in the act, such as measures allowing party members to vote directly for their candidates during primaries rather than through a small group of delegates, and provisions requiring fresh elections if a leading candidate is disqualified, preventing lower-ranked candidates from being declared winners by default.
The passage and eventual signing of the bill came after a rowdy session in the Senate, where disagreements, especially over how results should be transmitted were at the centre of intense debate among lawmakers.