The Nigerian Senate has rejected a proposed amendment to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory, during its consideration and passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026 on February 4, 2026.
The amendment, targeting Clause 60, Subsection 3, would have required presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to upload polling unit results in real time to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) after signing and stamping Form EC8A (or similar), with countersignatures from party agents.
Instead, the Senate retained the existing provision from the 2022 Electoral Act, which allows the presiding officer to transfer results “in a manner as prescribed by the Commission,” leaving the method—including electronic options—to INEC’s discretion rather than enforcing it as a statutory requirement.
This decision came amid clause-by-clause deliberations in the upper chamber, following earlier proposals in 2025 to strengthen electronic transmission for greater transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The move sparked immediate controversy and social media reports claiming the Senate had outright rejected electronic transmission. Senate President Godswill Akpabio quickly clarified that this was a misrepresentation, emphasizing that the chamber had not removed or banned electronic transmission but preserved the flexible framework already in place, which was utilized during the 2023 elections via tools like the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and IReV.
The rejection of mandatory real-time e-transmission has raised concerns among civil society groups and opposition voices about potential vulnerabilities to result manipulation during collation, a persistent issue in past Nigerian polls. However, supporters of the outcome argue it maintains INEC’s operational independence while still permitting electronic uploads when feasible, avoiding rigid mandates that could face implementation challenges in areas with poor network coverage.
The amended bill’s passage through third reading marks a key step in electoral reforms, though the lack of compulsory e-transmission continues to fuel debates on enhancing credibility for future votes.Overall, the Senate’s action balances technological advancement with practical flexibility, but it underscores ongoing tensions between legislative intent and electoral integrity in Nigeria’s democracy.
