With less than two years until the 2027 general election, Nigeria’s National Assembly has yet again promised sweeping reforms to the country’s Electoral Act.

From press briefings to public hearings, lawmakers have pledged a robust review aimed at ensuring credible election. But for many Nigerians, this is a familiar performance with an uncertain ending, one that often starts with optimism and ends in disappointment.

2023 experience

The public’s skepticism isn’t rooted in cynicism, it’s the consequence of experience. In 2023, Nigerians dared to hope that the election would be different. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) received a historic budget of over N300 billion. It deployed new technologies, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), to enhance transparency and reduce fraud.

But the dream was short-lived

On election day, the technology that had been so heavily hyped faltered at the most critical moment. INEC failed to upload presidential results in real-time, citing technical glitches. Confidence in the process crumbled. The fallout? Widespread accusations of rigging, legal battles, and a deepening sense that the electoral process had once again been compromised.

That failed promise has become the shadow under which the National Assembly now operates as it reopens the conversation on reform. To many Nigerians, this isn’t the dawn of a new commitment, it’s déjà vu.

The lawmakers and the law

At the heart of the doubt is a moral and institutional contradiction: can a body dominated by beneficiaries of a flawed system genuinely reform that system?

Many of those currently in the National Assembly won their seats through elections tainted by the very malpractices the reform aims to fix, vote buying, suppression, falsified results, and intimidation. A few even owe their political survival to court rulings that overturned initial outcomes. Critics argue that expecting them to legislate themselves out of power, or pass a law that makes rigging more difficult, is like expecting oil thieves to champion environmental reform.

The 2022 Act: What went wrong?

The 2022 Electoral Act was hailed as a landmark piece of legislation when it was signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari. It introduced several key provisions, including early transmission of results, improved use of technology, and legal limits on campaign spending.

However, the 2023 elections exposed the Act’s vulnerability to selective implementation and weak enforcement. INEC failed to upload presidential election results in real-time as promised, citing technical glitches, a failure that undermined public trust and prompted legal disputes. Critics also pointed out the lack of accountability mechanisms for electoral officials and political parties who violated the law with impunity.

Even more troubling was the role of the National Assembly in shaping the final version of the law. Key reform proposals, such as mandatory electronic transmission of results and stiffer penalties for electoral fraud, were watered down or removed entirely during the legislative process.

Reform in words, regression in practice

On Friday, the Senate began public hearings on constitution review across the country. Electoral reforms is one of the top agenda of the public hearing. Some proposals include establishing an Electoral Offences Commission, enhancing INEC’s independence, and giving legal teeth to electronic result transmission.

Indeed, the 2023 experience has left many Nigerians jaded. Despite laws on campaign finance, candidates splurged money with abandon. Despite regulations on result transmission, INEC operated in opacity. And despite promises of accountability, few violators have been prosecuted. The system remains one where power, not the people, determines who wins.

The Electoral Offences Commission: Still a mirage

One reform that has lingered for years is the creation of an Electoral Offences Commission, a body that would investigate and prosecute electoral crimes independently of INEC. While INEC conducts elections, it lacks the capacity and neutrality to prosecute offenders, making electoral impunity the norm.

In theory, lawmakers agree on the need for such a body. In practice, the bill has stalled at various stages of the legislative process. The current version remains in limbo.

Why the reluctance? Analysts say it’s because many of those who fund and benefit from electoral malpractice fear they could be the first targets of such a commission. A law that threatens the very engine of political survival is unlikely to pass easily, unless sustained pressure is mounted by civil society, the media, and the electorate.

2027: A test of will

As Nigeria heads toward another critical election cycle in 2027, the stakes for reform could not be higher. The country is facing mounting public disillusionment, growing youth discontent, and rising insecurity. A credible electoral process is not just a democratic ideal, it is a national imperative.

But credibility requires more than rhetoric. It demands the courage to confront a system that rewards manipulation, the foresight to strengthen institutions, and the humility to listen to citizens who want their votes to count.

Until the National Assembly proves, through action, that it can rise above partisan interest and enact genuine reforms, its promises will remain just that: promises.

For now, Nigerians are watching, and waiting. (BusinessDay)