As the Senate convenes its emergency plenary session to address the contentious Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, seven leading civil society organisations have called on the upper legislative chamber to adopt the House of Representatives report on mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results.

The coalition also called for the approval of downloadable voter cards, and the retention of existing electoral timelines.

They also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to release the timetable for the 2027 general election in accordance with the provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act 2022.

The organisations include Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), The Kukah Centre, International Press Centre (IPC), Elect Her, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, TAF Africa and Yiaga Africa.

The groups, therefore, tasked the National Assembly’s conference committee on the Electoral Bill to adopt the House of Representatives’ position on key electoral reforms,

Speaking on behalf of the organisations at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, the Founder and CEO of TAF Africa, Amb. Jake Epelle, warned that lingering disagreements between the Senate and the House could undermine preparations for the 2027 general elections.

He called on the National Assembly to conclude the harmonisation process within two weeks and appealed to citizens to pressure their representatives to prioritise reforms that strengthen transparency, accountability and public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.

According to the groups, the sharp divergence between the two chambers of the National Assembly poses “profound implications for the integrity of the 2027 general elections”.

“Electoral reform is not merely a procedural exercise; it is foundational to the credibility, transparency, and predictability of democratic transitions,” the groups said, noting that the protracted amendment process has already created legal uncertainty capable of disrupting the Independent National Electoral Commission’s ,INEC constitutionally mandated preparations.

The organisations expressed concern that public debate since the Senate vote has been clouded by conflicting narratives about what exactly the upper chamber approved.

They noted that Section 28(1) of the Act empowers INEC to issue election notices 360 days before polling day and warned that the uncertainty created by the ongoing amendments appears to have delayed the release of the 2027 timetable.

“The 2022 Electoral Act remains operative until amended. The inchoate status of the Electoral Bill does not suspend INEC’s statutory obligations.

“INEC’s established policy framework schedules general elections for the third Saturday of February in the election year, a convention designed to provide certainty for electoral stakeholders, facilitate systematic planning, and accommodate potential contingencies such as reruns, runoff elections, and post-election litigation. Applying this framework to the 2027 cycle yields an election date of February 20, 2027, requiring notice issuance by February 24, 2026”, Epelle said.

He argued that releasing the timetable now would fulfil INEC’s legal obligations, give political parties and candidates certainty for planning, and establish baseline timelines that any future amendments could adjust through transitional provisions.

They proposed a revised clause requiring election officials to transmit results electronically in real time from polling units and collation centres to a public portal, with such results serving as verification for any other results before collation.

Clarifying the concept of “real-time,” the groups explained that it means uploading polling unit results immediately after counting and public declaration at the polling unit , not electronic voting or automatic transmission as votes are cast.

On voter cards, the organisations backed the House position allowing downloadable PVCs, citing INEC data from the 2023 elections showing that about 6.2 million registered voters were unable to vote because they failed to collect their PVCs

They also warned against compressing electoral timelines, insisting that the current provisions ,360 days for notice of elections, 180 days for submission of candidate lists, and 150 days for publication of nominations , are critical for logistics, ballot production, and overall election integrity.