From Victor Osula, Abuja
Nigeria’s electoral reform drive gained momentum on Wednesday as the House of Representatives approved stiffer penalties for electoral officers who compromise the integrity of elections, including a 10-year jail term for any presiding or collation officer who, without lawful justification, fails to stamp and sign a result sheet announced by them.
The decision followed the commencement of clause-by-clause consideration of the Electoral Bill, during which lawmakers unanimously adopted an amendment to Clause 73(3), increasing the penalty from three years’ imprisonment to 10 years.
The resolution forms part of amendments to the Electoral Act, 2022, aimed at strengthening the powers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), tightening electoral procedures and closing loopholes exposed during recent elections.
The amendments were contained in a report presented by the House Committee on Electoral Matters, chaired by Hon. Adebayo Balogun.
During deliberations, the House approved several clauses designed to enhance transparency, improve electoral conduct and reduce post-election disputes.
Clauses 3, 5 and 6, covering preliminary provisions and key interpretations under the Act, were adopted to align definitions with evolving electoral practices.
Lawmakers also approved Clauses 10 and 12, reinforcing INEC’s authority over the organisation, supervision and management of elections, including logistics and deployment of personnel.
In a bid to curb manipulation and promote inclusiveness, Clauses 18 and 22 relating to voter registration and the compilation, maintenance and public display of the voters’ register were amended.
Significant changes were made to Clauses 23 and 29, which deal with political party nominations and the submission of candidate lists to INEC. The amendments seek to clarify timelines, strengthen compliance and enhance INEC’s oversight of political parties.
Further provisions approved include Clauses 31, 32 and 34, addressing party primaries, publication of candidates’ particulars and qualifications for elective offices, as part of efforts to prevent pre-election irregularities.
The House also approved Clauses 47, 50 and 54, which relate to voting procedures, voter accreditation and the use of technology in elections, reaffirming legal backing for INEC’s deployment of electronic systems.
Of particular significance, Clause 60 was adopted to mandate real-time electronic transmission of results, requiring that results from each polling unit be uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal after Form EC8A has been duly signed and stamped by the presiding officer and counter-signed by polling unit agents where available.
Clause 62, which strengthens the collation, transmission and custody of results to minimise disputes, was also approved.
In addition, the House adopted Clauses 64 and 65, which outline electoral offences and penalties, proposing tougher sanctions for malpractices such as vote-buying.
Clauses 71 and 73, dealing with election petitions and timelines for dispute resolution, were approved as amended, while Clause 74 was also adjusted to streamline post-election legal processes.
However, consideration of Clause 51 was deferred to a subsequent plenary session.
Presiding over the session, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu confirmed the adoption of the various clauses and said deliberations on the Electoral Bill would continue at the next plenary sitting.
