By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
Nigeria’s 2027 general elections are drifting into dangerous uncertainty as a powerful coalition of civil society organisations warned that unresolved disputes in the National Assembly over the Electoral Bill could weaken voter confidence, disrupt election planning and threaten democratic stability.
At a tense media briefing in Abuja, the Coalition on Monday, led by the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), The Kukah Centre, International Press Centre (IPC), Elect Her, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, TAF Africa and Yiaga Africa accused Lawmakers of stalling reforms that are critical to the credibility of future elections.
Speaking on behalf of the groups, the Coordinator, TAF Africa, Mr. Jake Epelle, said the harmonization of the Electoral Bill has become a defining moment for Nigeria’s democracy, warning that continued delay or dilution of reforms would amount to “legislating uncertainty into the 2027 polls.”
“The danger is no longer theoretical,” Epelle said. “Legal ambiguity is already affecting preparations. Elections thrive on certainty, not confusion.”
Three Reforms, One Fault Line
At the heart of the standoff are three contentious reforms: mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results, downloadable voter cards for missing or unissued PVCs, and retention of existing electoral timelines.
The Coalition urged the National Assembly’s Conference Committee to adopt the House of Representatives’ position on all three, warning that the Senate’s opposing stance could undo hard-won gains from the 2022 Electoral Act.
They recalled that in an earlier statement issued on February 5, they had expressed alarm over the Senate’s rejection of electronic transmission, its opposition to downloadable PVCs, the compression of electoral timelines, and the removal of a proposed 10-year ban on buying and selling Permanent Voters Cards.
“This is not legislative housekeeping,” the groups stressed. “Electoral reform is the backbone of democratic transition.”
Confusion from the Senate
Since the Senate vote, public debate has been clouded by conflicting interpretations of what lawmakers actually approved.
According to the Coalition, three narratives are circulating simultaneously:
that the Senate endorsed real-time transmission;
that it merely retained INEC’s discretionary powers under the 2022 Act;
or that it replaced the word “transmit” with “transfer” while removing the phrase “real-time.”
For a law governing elections, the groups said, such ambiguity is unacceptable.
“You cannot regulate democracy with vague language,” one speaker noted. “Unclear laws create space for manipulation.”
The Coalition also turned attention to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), warning that legislative delays must not paralyse statutory obligations.
Citing Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, they reminded Nigerians that INEC is required to issue a notice of elections 360 days before polling day.
With general elections traditionally held on the third Saturday of February, the projected date for the 2027 polls is February 20, 2027, meaning the notice should be issued by February 24, 2026.
Failure to do so, they warned, could expose INEC to legal challenges and destabilise election logistics.
“We urge INEC to act in line with the law in force,” the statement said. “Unfinished amendments do not suspend existing obligations.”
At the briefing, Civil Society Leaders forcefully rejected claims that Nigeria lacks the infrastructure for real-time electronic transmission of results, describing such arguments as “economically unsound and technologically outdated.”
They pointed out that elections are conducted across 176,000 polling units nationwide, and that in past elections, up to 90 per cent of results in some states were uploaded before midnight on election day.
“If we can already upload results at that scale, what exactly is the argument now?” a speaker asked.
They cited data from a joint INEC–Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Committee showing that 93 per cent of polling units have network coverage, while fewer than 15,000 polling units lacked connectivity in 2023, a fraction they described as statistically insignificant.
“There should be no attempt to weaponize marginal connectivity gaps to justify national regression,” the coalition said.
The Groups accused some political actors of deliberately misleading the public about real-time transmission.
They clarified that real-time transmission simply means uploading polling unit results immediately after counting and public announcements, using Form EC8A, in the presence of party agents and observers.
“It does not mean electronic voting. It does not mean electronic collation,” they stressed.
Making transmission mandatory, they argued, would move it from discretionary guidelines into the body of the law, ensuring transparency and preventing manipulation at collation centres.
On downloadable voter cards, the Coalition cited INEC data showing that about 6.2 million registered voters failed to collect their PVCs in 2023, effectively losing their right to vote.
“Downloadable PVCs are not a luxury,” they said. “They are a solution to systemic disenfranchisement.”
They also warned that compressing electoral timelines would increase logistical risks, complicate ballot production and heighten the chances of operational failure.
As the Senate prepares for an emergency plenary, the Coalition warned that rejecting mandatory electronic transmission would amount to “trading away public trust” and casting a shadow over the legitimacy of the 2027 elections.
“If transparency is resisted, legitimacy suffers,” they said, adding that credible elections benefit both ruling and opposition parties by strengthening the mandate of winners.
The Groups signalled readiness to engage the Presidency once the bill is transmitted, recalling that sustained civic pressure was required before the 2022 Electoral Act was signed into law.
In their closing message, the Coalition urged Lawmakers to conclude harmonization within two weeks and transmit the final bill to the President, warning that prolonged uncertainty carries economic, administrative and democratic costs.
“The National Assembly exists for Nigerians, not for itself,” the statement said. “This reform is not about technology. It is about trust, legitimacy and the survival of our democracy.”
As Nigeria edges closer to 2027, civil society’s message is blunt and unmistakable: elections in a digital economy cannot be governed by analogue laws.
