Civil society organizations urges Nigerian government to release Electoral Act 2026, stressing transparency and electoral safeguards

The Civil Society Network on Election Integrity and the Electoral Act has urged the Nigerian government to make the signed Electoral Act 2026 immediately accessible to all citizens, emphasizing that voters have the right to know the law governing their votes.

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At a citizens’ town hall meeting in Abuja, Samson Itodo of Yiaga Africa stressed that the law must reinforce accountability and not contain loopholes that political actors could exploit.

He highlighted that the credibility of elections depends not just on laws but also on transparent implementation, professional electoral officials, and independent security agencies.

Professor Okechukwu Ibeanu of University of Nigeria, Nsukka noted that the Act seems to revert debates on electronic transmission of results back to 2018 and called for a second review of Sections 16, 52, and 64.

He warned that letting politicians dominate amendments risks shaping laws to serve political calculations rather than protecting citizens’ votes.

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The civil society network also called on the National Assembly to review ambiguous sections and ensure regulations are clear, protecting the integrity of the electoral process ahead of the 2027 elections.