President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026 into law.

The Parliament Diary reported that the signing was done on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.

The assent to the bill follows its passage on Tuesday by the National Assembly of Nigeria, after months of deliberation.

The new law repeals and replaces the Electoral Act 2022. It introduces amendments on party primaries, campaign finance, election technology and dispute resolution.

The newly passed law also grants the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) discretion to transmit election results electronically. A key provision, Clause 60(3), specifies that if electronic transmission of results fails, Form EC8A cannot serve as the sole source of results.

In such cases, manual submission is permitted, but only under clearly defined conditions.

This approach has fuelled ongoing controversy; many Nigerians, including lawmakers and civil society groups, had called for mandatory real-time electronic transmission from polling units to prevent potential tampering.

Despite the rejection from other stakeholders, the Senate approved a version that gives INEC the choice to use electronic transmission, with manual collation acting as a backup in the event of “network failure”.

In addition to clarifying the transmission of results, the law reduces the election notice period.

It takes immediate effect and will guide preparations for forthcoming elections. INEC has already released the timetable for the 2027 general elections, with the presidential poll scheduled for February 20, 2027.