The National Assembly on Tuesday approved the electronic transmission of election results but retained manual collation as a backup, triggering protests, a walkout by opposition lawmakers and heated debates in both chambers ahead of the 2027 general elections. Outside the complex, protesters — joined by former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili — accused lawmakers of attempting to dilute electoral safeguards. For the second time in two weeks, the Senate approved electronic transmission with manual collation as a fallback. He explained that INEC’s announcement fixing the 2027 general elections for February 2027 had triggered fresh concerns. “We have asked that the clause should remain solely for electronic transmission without any condition.

Source: Punch February 17, 2026 23:07 UTC