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NLC Threatens Nationwide Action Over Senate’s Ambiguous Electoral Act Amendments

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<p><&excl;-- BEGIN THEIA POST SLIDER --><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"ME4ue0zi" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa<&sol;p><div class&equals;"MdXNQgHq" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>The Nigeria Labour Congress &lpar;NLC&rpar; has issued a stark warning of potential nationwide protests and a boycott of future elections&comma; citing what it calls &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;confusion and contradictory positions” by the Senate regarding crucial amendments to the Electoral Act&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The labour union accused the Senate of undermining public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process by failing to clearly state whether electronic transmission of results would be mandatory&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The Nigeria Labour Congress &lpar;NLC&rpar; expresses deep concern over the confusion and contradictory narratives emerging from the Senate regarding the amendment to the 2022 Electoral Act&comma; particularly on electronic transmission of results&comma;” NLC President Joe Ajaero said in a statement on Sunday&period;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"Ky5OPylr" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block&semi; text-align&colon;center&semi;" &NewLine; data-ad-layout&equals;"in-article" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"fluid" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"6550225277"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>According to the NLC&comma; the lack of clarity surrounding the Senate’s decision threatens electoral integrity and public trust&comma; stressing that &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Nigerians deserve a transparent system where votes are not only counted but seen to be counted&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad3" id&equals;"quads-ad3" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Public records suggest the proposed amendment to mandate the Independent National Electoral Commission &lpar;INEC&rpar; to transmit results electronically in real time was not adopted&comma; with the existing discretionary provision retained&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;This has generated nationwide apprehension&comma; and subsequent explanations have only added to the confusion&comma;” the union added&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>It warned that &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;legislative ambiguity” at a critical period following the 2023 general elections could institutionalise doubt within the electoral system&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad1" id&equals;"quads-ad1" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>The labour body demanded that the Senate issue an &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;immediate&comma; official&comma; and unambiguous account” of the exact provisions passed&comma; including the final wording and the rationale behind its decision&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The National Assembly leadership must also ensure the harmonisation process produces a final bill with crystal-clear provisions&semi; any ambiguity in the transmission and collation of results is a disservice to our democracy&comma;” the statement read&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The NLC insisted that the amended Electoral Act must provide a clear mandate compelling INEC to electronically transmit and collate results from polling units in real time&comma; warning that failure to do so could trigger mass action&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Failure to add electronic transmission in real time will lead to mass action before&comma; during and after the election&comma; or total boycott of the election&comma;” the Congress said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Nigerian workers and citizens are watching closely&period; Our nation must choose the path of clarity and integrity&period; We need to avoid the same confusion that trailed the new Tax Acts&period; The time for honest&comma; people-focused legislation is now&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The warning follows the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act 2022 &lpar;Repeal and Re-enactment&rpar; Amendment Bill 2026 through its third reading on February 4&comma; 2026&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In passing the bill&comma; the upper chamber voted down Clause 60&lpar;3&rpar;&comma; which would have required presiding officers to electronically transmit results from polling units directly to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing portal in real time&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The rejected clause aimed to make the process mandatory&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The lawmaker replaced it with the current discretionary &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;transfer” of results&comma; which allows electronic transmission only after votes are counted and publicly announced at polling units&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Civil society groups and opposition figures have condemned the Senate’s decision&comma; labelling it a setback for Nigeria’s democratic progress&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Senate President Akpabio has&comma; however&comma; defended the chamber’s actions&comma; insisting during a public event that the Senate did not reject electronic transmission and vowing not to be intimidated&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Meanwhile&comma; the Senate has fixed Tuesday&comma; February 10&comma; 2026&comma; for an emergency plenary sitting&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The sitting could see the Senate reconsider the rejected amendment amid public outcry and potential legal challenges from figures such as lawyer Femi Falana&comma; with possible implications for Nigeria’s democratic processes and the balance between incumbency protections and verifiable voting technology&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><&excl;-- END THEIA POST SLIDER -->&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"autorelaxed" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"1004305389"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;98&period;1 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad5" id&equals;"quads-ad5" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;

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