Civil society organisations (CSOs), including the Kukah Centre and Yiaga Africa, have given the National Assembly two weeks to conclude amendments to the Electoral Act and retain the provision for mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results.

The groups also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately release the timetable for the 2027 general elections.

The demands were made on Monday at a press conference in Abuja organised by a coalition of CSOs in collaboration with the International Press Centre (IPC), TAF Africa, Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), Nigerian Women Trust Fund and Elect Her.

Speaking on behalf of the coalition, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of TAF Africa, Mr Jake Epelle, urged members of the conference committee harmonising the Electoral Act Amendment Bill to prioritise national interest over partisan considerations.

“We call on the conference committee members to approach the harmonisation deliberations guided by national interest, institutional integrity and democratic accountability rather than narrow partisan calculations,” Epelle said.

He reiterated the coalition’s demand that the National Assembly should conclude the amendment process and transmit the final bill to the President within two weeks.

The CSOs acknowledged reports of the Senate’s plan to convene an emergency plenary session, believed to be connected to the Electoral Act amendment, and challenged lawmakers to use the opportunity to take a clear and unambiguous position on real-time electronic transmission.

The coalition further called on Nigerians to actively engage their legislators, stressing that sustained public pressure was critical to safeguarding electoral integrity.

“As key stakeholders in the electoral process, we urge citizens to demand accountable representation by pressing lawmakers to prioritise public interest and electoral credibility,” Epelle said.

He added that lawmakers must pass provisions on real-time electronic transmission of results, introduce downloadable Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to curb voter disenfranchisement, and resist any attempt to weaken statutory electoral timelines.

According to the coalition, the conference committee should adopt the House of Representatives’ position on mandatory electronic transmission, downloadable PVCs and the retention of established electoral timelines, noting that electoral reform goes beyond routine legislative processes.

The CSOs also urged INEC to immediately issue the timetable for the 2027 general elections.

“We urge INEC to release the election timetable in line with the Electoral Act 2022 without further delay. This will fulfil its statutory obligations, insulate the commission from legal challenges, and provide political parties, candidates and civil society with the certainty required for proper preparation,” Epelle said.

Also speaking, Yiaga Africa’s Director of Programmes, Ms Cynthia Mbamalu, expressed concern over what she described as legislative backsliding on electoral reforms agreed upon in previous cycles.

“It is unfair that the Senate wants to take us back on an issue we already resolved in the last reform process,” she said.

She dismissed claims that mandatory real-time electronic transmission could disenfranchise voters, noting that INEC had previously affirmed its readiness and capacity to implement the technology.

“The commission has told us it has the infrastructure to do this. We therefore urge the conference committee to adopt the recommendations passed by the House of Representatives,” Mbamalu added.

The ultimatum comes barely an hour after former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, joined hundreds of protesters at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja to challenge the Senate’s decision to remove the phrase “real-time” from the electronic transmission clause of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

The protest, tagged Occupy National Assembly, was attended by members of the Obidient Movement and other pro-democracy groups, who accused lawmakers of attempting to weaken electoral safeguards ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Last week, the Senate passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill, 2026 through third reading. The controversy centres on the deletion of the phrase “real-time” from provisions on electronic transmission of election results, which critics argue could create room for manipulation and post-election interference.

Although the Senate has insisted it did not reject electronic transmission outright, protesters and civil society groups maintain that the absence of explicit “real-time” language undermines transparency and public confidence in the electoral process.