The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a strong warning that it may embark on nationwide mass action or boycott future elections if the amendment of the Electoral Act 2022 fails to mandate the real-time electronic transmission and collation of election results.
In a statement on Sunday, NLC President Joe Ajaero said the amended law must clearly and unequivocally compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit results electronically from polling units in real time, warning that any ambiguity would further erode public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system.
The warning followed the Senate’s rejection on February 4 of a proposal seeking to make real-time electronic transmission of results compulsory during deliberations on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
Although the Senate retained provisions on electronic transmission contained in the Electoral Act, 2022, the existing law does not legally bind INEC to transmit results in real time. As a result, manual transmission and collation remain the dominant practice, despite the deployment of INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
The rejected amendment had sought to make electronic transmission mandatory, ensure real-time uploads, and link the process directly to IReV. The decision has since triggered public outrage and deepened mistrust in the electoral process.
Reacting, Ajaero said organised labour was disturbed by what he described as “confusion and contradictory narratives” emerging from the Senate over the content of the amended law.
He demanded immediate clarity on the exact provisions adopted by the National Assembly.
“The Nigerian people deserve an electoral process in which their votes are not only counted but are clearly seen to be counted,” the statement said.
“Public records indicate that the proposal to mandate real-time electronic transmission of results was rejected, with discretionary provisions retained. This has generated widespread apprehension, while subsequent explanations have only compounded the confusion.
“At this critical moment, following the controversies of the 2023 elections, legislative ambiguity risks institutionalising doubt at the core of our electoral integrity.”
The NLC further insisted that the National Assembly must ensure the final harmonised bill contains clear, enforceable provisions on electronic transmission and collation of results.
“The amended Act must provide an unambiguous mandate for INEC to electronically transmit and collate results from polling units in real time. The road to the 2027 elections must be built on certainty, transparency, and trust—not confusion,” Ajaero said.
He warned that organised labour would not hesitate to mobilise Nigerians if the demand is ignored.
“Failure to include real-time electronic transmission in the amended law will trigger mass action before, during, and after elections, or a total boycott of the process,” the statement said.
“Our nation must choose clarity and integrity. We cannot afford a repeat of the confusion that trailed recent tax reforms.”
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