INEC Urges Government to Simplify Electoral Act for Nigerians

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called on the federal government to make the recently amended Electoral Act easier for Nigerians to understand.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, said the law should be rewritten in simple language so that every citizen can comprehend and appreciate its provisions. He made the appeal during a citizens’ town hall meeting organized by the Civil Society Network on Election Integrity and the Electoral Act in Abuja on Sunday.

Prof. Amupitan noted that clarity is particularly important amid ongoing debates over the real-time transmission of election results in Nigeria’s diverse political landscape.

He said, “What Nigeria needs is simple legislation — a law written in a way that everyone can understand. We have gone through the Electoral Act from start to finish and identified some contentious areas that require simplification.”

On election result transmission, the INEC boss explained that the issue lies not in the principle itself but in network adequacy. He cited the recent FCT Area Council elections, where results from five councils were transmitted on time, but Kabi Ward’s results only came through the next day due to communication challenges.

“We initially thought transmission should be mandatory. But defining ‘real-time’ has been our major challenge. In places like FCT, transmission should be seamless, yet network coverage remains a limitation,” he said.

Prof. Amupitan stressed that the Commission’s commitment to credible elections remains firm, but technical and logistical improvements are crucial to achieve real-time result transmission nationwide.