The First They Amended the Electoral Act Without the Electronic Transfer, Buhari Rejected it-Okonkwo

Kenneth Okonkwo, a member of the National Working Committee of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has stated that former President Muhammadu Buhari once declined to sign an amendment to Nigeria’s Electoral Act because it did not provide for the electronic transmission of election results.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Inside Sources on Sunday, February 8, 2026, the lawyer and political commentator said the incident occurred during the legislative process that eventually produced the Electoral Act 2022. According to him, the National Assembly initially forwarded an amended electoral bill to the presidency without explicitly including provisions guaranteeing electronic transfer of results from polling units.

Okonkwo explained that Buhari withheld assent to the bill at the time, insisting that the legislation be revised to incorporate clearer provisions enabling the use of technology, particularly electronic transmission of results. Lawmakers subsequently reviewed the amendment, inserted the relevant provisions, and returned the bill for presidential approval, after which it was signed into law.

He said the episode underscored the importance placed on technological reforms as a means of improving transparency, credibility, and public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system. Okonkwo argued that the central objective of the Electoral Act 2022 was to strengthen the integrity of elections through technology-driven mechanisms, including electronic accreditation of voters and the electronic upload or transfer of polling-unit results.

The ADC chieftain maintained that debates over whether electronic transmission should be mandatory or discretionary should be resolved in a manner consistent with the original reform intent of the law, noting that earlier legislative and executive actions demonstrated broad institutional support for integrating technology into the country’s electoral process.

If you love political news or like to get more news happening around the globe, use the button below to get more verified news happening around Nigeria and the world today.

If you love political news or like to get more news happening around the globe, use the button below to get more verified news happening around Nigeria and the world today.