Nigerian Civil Society Groups Protest Mandatory Electronic Vote Transmission

Civil society organisations on Tuesday returned to the National Assembly of Nigeria for a second consecutive day of protests, demanding that lawmakers make real-time electronic transmission of election results mandatory in the proposed Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2026.

The protesters, led by ActionAid Nigeria and other civic groups, insisted on the unconditional electronic transmission of results directly from polling units to the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC). 

The demonstration followed an earlier protest last week amid concerns that the Senate’s version of the amendment bill weakened provisions for real-time transmission, unlike the House of Representatives’ version, which has been endorsed by civil society groups.

Addressing protesters, the Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Andrew Mamedu, described the demand as non-negotiable. Mamedu said that although recent reforms had reduced irregularities in voter accreditation, the transmission stage remained vulnerable to manipulation and must be firmly addressed in the amended law.

He urged citizens to question their senators and members of the House of Representatives about their stance on mandatory e-transmission, describing the demand as reasonable and essential for credible elections.

Also speaking, the Convener of Lawyers in Defence of Democracy and Human Rights, Okere Nnamdi, said the protest represented a “people’s parliament” united behind the House version of the bill. He called on the harmonisation committee of both chambers to adopt the House proposal in its entirety.

Nnamdi warned that civil society groups would challenge the law in court if the final version deviated from the House proposal.

In his remarks, Jake Epelle, Chief Executive Officer of TAF Africa, speaking on behalf of persons with disabilities, said that credible elections were impossible without real-time transmission of results and affirmed that citizens would continue to demand electoral integrity.

The protesters maintained that mandatory electronic transmission would enhance transparency, create a level playing field for political actors and restore public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system.  They vowed to sustain pressure on lawmakers as the National Assembly moves to harmonise the Senate and House versions of the amendment bill.