Senate bows to pressure, approves conditional electronic transmission of results

The Senate has approved the electronic transmission of election results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s result viewing portal (IReV), but with a condition.

The approval is necessitated on manual collation of results to serve as a fallback where electronic transmission fails due to technical challenges.

The decision followed a review of a controversial provision in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill during Tuesday’s plenary session.

The amendment was introduced through a motion sponsored by Tahir Monguno, senator representing Borno North.

Monguno said further scrutiny of clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill 2026 showed the need for changes to avoid disputes and operational problems during elections.

He proposed that presiding officers be allowed to transmit results electronically to the IReV portal after form EC8A has been completed, signed, and stamped.

However, the amendment does not make electronic transmission mandatory and excludes real-time uploading of results.

Under the approved provision, where electronic transmission is disrupted by network or communication issues, the manually completed EC8A form will be used as the basis for collation and declaration of results.

The motion was seconded by Abba Moro, the Senate minority leader.

Moro said electoral laws must balance transparency with the country’s infrastructural realities.

After brief deliberations, Senate President Godswill Akpabio put the amendment to a voice vote, which was approved by the majority.