The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday reversed an earlier decision and approved the electronic transmission of election results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal, IReV, while allowing manual collation as a backup in case technology fails.
The move came after days of nationwide protests, public outcry, and criticism from opposition parties, civil society groups, and youth movements over a disputed clause in the Electoral Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill, 2026. However, the Senate did not make electronic transmission mandatory nor include the real-time upload of results, a key demand from demonstrators seeking stronger electoral safeguards ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Under the revised provision, presiding officers at polling units must electronically transmit results to IReV once voting and documentation are complete. If electronic transmission fails due to network or communication challenges, the manual result sheet, Form EC8A, becomes the primary source for collation and declaration.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio explained that the amendment was intended to balance technological adoption with practical realities, urging senators to formally challenge the clause if they disagreed. He noted that the change reversed the controversial Section 60, Subsection 3, which had previously sparked public outrage.
The decision followed heated exchanges in the Senate chamber, where the Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno, moved to rescind the earlier approval, and several senators, including Enyinnaya Abaribe, opposed the removal of “real-time” electronic transmission. Amid the tension, a 12-member conference committee was appointed to harmonise the Senate’s version of the bill with that of the House of Representatives, with a view to presenting it to President Bola Tinubu for assent by the end of February.
While some senators, like Orji Uzor Kalu, defended the compromise as a balanced approach accommodating communities with network challenges, opposition figures and civil society organisations warned that retaining manual transmission could weaken transparency and open the door to manipulation.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar criticised the mixed electronic and manual system, warning it could create confusion and undermine voter confidence. Former governors Rotimi Amaechi and Nasir El-Rufai, along with activist Peter Obi and Omoyele Sowore, joined protests demanding real-time electronic transmission, stressing that it would improve transparency, reduce election-related violence, and curb rigging.
Opposition parties, including the PDP and the New Nigeria People’s Party, echoed concerns that the Senate’s decision left room for manipulation, describing the retention of manual collation as a “backdoor move” undermining electoral reforms. Civil society groups, including the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre and the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, urged lawmakers to adopt the House of Representatives’ version of the bill, insisting on mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results.
As the conference committee prepares to harmonise the bill, analysts note that the final outcome will play a key role in shaping the credibility of the 2027 general elections and public trust in Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
