KEY POINTS

• NLC has threatened mass action and possible election boycott if real-time electronic transmission of results is excluded from the Electoral Act amendment.

• The Senate recently rejected a proposal to make real-time transmission mandatory, retaining INEC’s discretionary powers under the existing law.

• Labour leaders say ambiguity in the amended Act could undermine electoral credibility and destabilise preparations for the 2027 elections.

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has threatened nationwide mass action and a possible boycott of future elections if the amendment to the Electoral Act fails to mandate real-time electronic transmission of election results.

In a statement issued on Sunday, NLC president Joe Ajaero said the amended law must clearly compel the Independent National Electoral Commission to electronically transmit and collate results from polling units in real time, warning that anything short of this would undermine public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.

The warning follows the Senate’s decision on February 4 to reject a proposal seeking to make real-time electronic transmission of election results mandatory in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

While the Senate retained provisions in the existing Electoral Act 2022 that allow electronic transmission, it stopped short of making it compulsory.

Under the current law, INEC has the discretion to transmit results electronically but is not legally bound to do so in real time, leaving room for manual transmission and collation despite the availability of the INEC Result Viewing Portal.

The Senate’s decision has triggered public outrage and renewed scepticism about the credibility of elections.

NLC demands clarity and transparency

Ajaero said the labour movement is deeply concerned by what it described as confusion and contradictory explanations emerging from the Senate regarding the amendment process.

According to him, Nigerians deserve a transparent electoral system where votes are not only counted but visibly accounted for. He called on the Senate to issue a clear and official explanation of the exact provisions adopted during deliberations on the bill.

The NLC warned that legislative ambiguity at this stage, coming after the controversies surrounding the 2023 elections, risks entrenching distrust and reopening old national wounds linked to disputed electoral outcomes.

The labour congress urged the National Assembly to ensure that the harmonisation process produces a final bill with clear and unmistakable provisions on electronic transmission and collation of results.

Ajaero said the amended law must remove all doubts by explicitly mandating INEC to transmit results electronically and in real time, stressing that the credibility of the 2027 elections depends on legal certainty.

He added that Nigerian workers and citizens are closely watching developments and warned that failure to include real-time electronic transmission could trigger mass protests before, during, and after elections, or even a total boycott.