President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has quickly signed the controversial Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) into law.
The president signed the bill on Wednesday, barely 24 hours after the bill was passed by the Legislature amid tumultous opposition to the bill.
Nigerians and civil societies had accused lawmakers of laying the foundation for the rigging of the 2027 elections
The signing however took place at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, around 5:00 pm with principal officers of the National Assembly in attendance.
The National Assembly had on Tuesday passed the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) Bill.
The amendment comes amid intense public debate over the real-time transmission of election results.
Last week, protests rocked the National Assembly complex as civil society organisations and some opposition figures mounted sustained pressure on the National Assembly to mandate live transmission of results from polling units directly to INEC’s central server.
They say it would reduce the risk of result manipulation and enhance the credibility of the electoral process.
The 2027 general elections are scheduled to be held on February 20 for Presidential and National Assembly elections and March 6 for Governorship & State Houses of Assembly Elections, according to the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The 2023 elections in Nigeria was alleged to have been rigged.
Details later…
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