The House of Representatives has approved major amendments to Nigeria’s Electoral Act — and the message is loud and clear: election rigging will no longer be business as usual.
Here’s what you need to know 👇
🗳️ Vote buyers & sellers beware
Anyone caught buying or selling votes now risks at least 2 years in prison, a ₦5 million fine, or both.
Even worse? Convicted offenders will be banned from contesting elections for 10 years.
📈 Harsher than before
These new penalties replace the old slap-on-the-wrist punishment of ₦500,000 fine or 2 years jail.
📡 Real-time result transmission
INEC is now mandated to transmit polling unit results electronically and in real time to the IREV portal — alongside physical collation — to curb manipulation.
🚫 Electoral officials not spared
Presiding officers who deliberately violate counting or result transmission rules face ₦500,000 fine, 6 months jail, or both.
💰 Early funding for INEC
Election funds must now be released to INEC at least one year before elections to boost preparation and transparency.
🆔 Multiple registration = trouble
Anyone caught registering more than once faces ₦100,000 fine, 1 year in jail, or both.
📋 New rules for parties & voters
• Political parties now have 210 days (up from 180) to submit candidate lists to INEC.
• INEC can approve electronic voter IDs, including downloadable voter cards with QR codes.
📌 Lawmakers are still considering the remaining clauses, but one thing is clear: Nigeria’s elections just got stricter.
What do you think — will this finally end vote trading? 👀🇳🇬
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