Amend Electoral Act To Give Full Legal Backing To BVAS, Electronic Transmission Of Results- NBA Tells NASS
The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has called on the National Assembly to urgently amend the Electoral Act 2022, proposing far-reaching reforms that would give full legal backing to the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and electronic transmission of results via the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), among other critical recommendations aimed at ensuring free, fair, and credible elections in Nigeria.
At a formal presentation before the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja, the NBA’s Electoral Reform Committee, led by its Chairman, Dr. Monday Ubani, SAN, submitted a detailed memorandum demanding key legislative changes ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In its submission, the NBA urged the National Assembly to amend Sections 47 and 60 of the Electoral Act to make the use of BVAS for voter accreditation not just procedural but a mandatory legal requirement.
It also wants BVAS data to be officially recognized as the sole and binding record of voter accreditation in any election. Furthermore, the Association called for explicit legal recognition of electronic transmission of results to IReV, warning that failure to do so continues to expose elections to post-poll manipulation and loss of public trust.
The NBA also recommended that any INEC official who fails to transmit results electronically should face criminal sanctions.
Beyond technological reforms, the NBA made a strong case for amending Section 29(5) to restrict the right to challenge a candidate’s qualification to only aspirants within the same political party.
It proposed that the current 14-day time limit for filing pre-election matters be retained under Section 29(8) to ensure timely resolution of disputes.
The session was presided over by the Chairman of the House Committee, Adebayo Balogun, who received the NBA team along with parliamentary clerks from both chambers.
