Model Bill Package: Electoral Technology Oversight & Transmission Integrity

Model legislation to close the communication-failure loophole.

Section 60(3) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires results to be transmitted electronically once Form EC8A is signed, but it allows a manual fallback wherever a "communication failure" is declared, and it never defines the term. There is no statutory test for what counts as a failure, no duty to log it and no independent check. Weaponising Elections identifies this as one of the most significant gaps in Nigeria's electoral framework.

The Model Bill Package contains model legislation on electoral technology oversight and transmission integrity, developed from the IETCC model bill in the book's appendix. It proposes an independent body to oversee election technology, rules for certifying and auditing devices and systems, and provisions to define, log and verify any claim of communication failure.

The package presents the bill with explanatory notes that set out the purpose of each part, the problem it addresses and the evidence from recent elections behind it.

It is designed for legislators, committee staff, legislative drafters, civil society advocates and development partners working on electoral reform. Use it as a starting point for drafting, consultation and advocacy, and test it with the Model Bill Validation Dossier before introduction.

Educational and policy material, not legal advice. Any bill should be reviewed by drafting counsel before introduction.

Tags: model bill, election reform, electoral technology oversight, Section 60(3), legislators