President Bola Tinubu has signed the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) Bill into law, resolving several outstanding issues surrounding the legislation. He assented to the bill on Wednesday, just a day after the National Assembly passed it.
The law’s passage followed months of debate, review, and amendments by both chambers. The Port City (TCPN) gathered that the President signed the bill during a ceremony at the State House at around 5:00 pm.
Top National Assembly leaders were present, and Tinubu commended lawmakers for their “solid brainstorming discussions” aimed at strengthening national development and safeguarding democratic stability. Addressing journalists after the signing, Tinubu said the essence of democracy lay in such rigorous discussions, emphasising their commitment to nation-building and the stability of the country.
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He noted that beyond the historical significance of the legislation, the priority was to ensure that the electoral process is managed in a way that prevents confusion or disenfranchisement. “The most important thing,” he said, “is that we manage the process to ensure there is no confusion, no disenfranchisement of Nigerians. We are all going to see democracy flourish
.”Tinubu stressed that confidence in the system must be rebuilt, arguing that no electoral framework, however technologically advanced, can function without human integrity. “No matter how good a system is, it is managed by the people, promoted by the people, and the result is finalised by the people,” he added.
On debates around real-time electronic transmission of results, the President urged a realistic assessment of Nigeria’s technological capacity, particularly its broadband infrastructure. He emphasised that voting remains fundamentally manual, with voters continuing to appear in person at polling units, receive ballot papers, thumbprint their preferred candidates, and cast votes without interference.
Ballots are sorted and counted manually, with only the arithmetic results entered into official forms. Tinubu concluded that Nigeria would continue to nurture its democracy, working toward prosperity and stability.
