The Senate has officially endorsed the electronic transmission of election results, marking a significant milestone in Nigeria’s legislative journey toward electoral reform.
The passage of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2026 follows a period of intense deliberation and a motion for rescission that saw the Red Chamber modify its earlier stance on digital result uploading.
The Senate’s version of the bill mandates that Presiding Officers electronically transmit results from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV). However, to ensure the process is resilient against Nigeria’s varying telecommunications infrastructure, the Senate has introduced a “fallback mechanism.”
Under the newly amended Section 60(3):
Primary Protocol: Results must be electronically transmitted after Form EC8A is signed and stamped.
Fallback Option: If electronic transmission fails due to communication glitches, the physical Form EC8A remains the primary legal source for result collation and declaration.
While both chambers of the National Assembly now support electronic transmission, a key point of divergence remains. The House of Representatives’ version, passed in December, explicitly mandates “real-time” transmission and simultaneous uploading with physical collation.
To bridge this gap, Senate President Godswill Akpabio has constituted a 12-member Conference Committee, chaired by Senator Simon Bako Lalong. The committee is tasked with harmonizing the Senate and House versions to produce a unified document for presidential assent.
The legislative session was held amidst significant public interest, with protesters including former Minister of Transportation Chibuike Amaechi gathering at the National Assembly to advocate for the “real-time” provision.
The amendment has drawn mixed reactions across the political spectrum:
ADC and ADC Stalwarts: Hailed the shift as a “victory for the resilience of Nigerians,” noting that civic action forced the legislature to revisit the electronic transmission clause.
Opposition Views: Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the PDP expressed reservations, arguing that the lack of a mandatory “real-time” clause and the inclusion of manual fallbacks could create loopholes.
Legal Perspective: Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) noted that the amendment is crucial to giving the IREV portal legal backing, which was found lacking during 2023 election litigations.
Senate President Akpabio expressed optimism regarding the timeline for the final law. “This is a matter of urgency,” he stated. “If the committee concludes within the next week, the President should be able to sign this amended Electoral Bill within this month.”
