By peterside Rejoice
The Senate on Tuesday rejected a proposal seeking to make the electronic transmission of election results compulsory, but clarified that it has not removed electronic upload from Nigeria’s electoral framework, insisting that the existing Electoral Act already permits digital transmission at the discretion of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The clarification followed widespread public reactions after lawmakers voted down an amendment to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill during clause by clause consideration on the Senate floor.
The rejected amendment sought to alter Clause 60 subsection 3 of the Electoral Act by mandating presiding officers to electronically transmit polling unit results directly to INEC’s Result Viewing portal, IReV, in real time, immediately after signing and stamping Form EC8A.
Instead, the Senate retained the current wording of the law, which states that the presiding officer shall transfer the results, including the total number of accredited voters and the results of the ballot, in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.
By this decision, the chamber declined to hard wire mandatory electronic transmission into the statute, leaving the mode and timing of result transmission to INEC’s operational guidelines rather than making it an absolute legal obligation.
Reacting to reports circulating on social media that the Senate had completely rejected electronic transmission of results, Senate President Godswill Akpabio dismissed the claims as misleading.
“Distinguished colleagues, the social media is already awash with reports that the Senate has rejected electronic transmission of results. That is not true,” Akpabio said shortly after the bill was passed following a marathon session that lasted over four hours.
He explained that the Senate merely declined to introduce a new compulsory layer, not to abolish digital uploads already permitted under the law.
“What we did was to retain the electronic transmission which has been in the Act and was used in 2022. So please do not allow people to confuse you,” he stated.
Akpabio stressed that the Senate under his leadership would not reverse progress already made in the electoral process.
“This Senate under my watch has not rejected the electronic transmission of results. We have retained what was in the previous provision by way of amendment. The previous provision already made allowance for electronic transmission, so it is still part of our law. We cannot afford to be going backwards,” he added.
Under the Electoral Act 2022, electronic transmission of results is not expressly mandatory. Section 60 grants INEC the authority to determine the mode of result transfer, stating that results shall be transmitted in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.
This provision formed the legal basis upon which INEC deployed technology such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, and the IReV portal to upload polling unit results during the 2023 general elections, even though the law did not impose a strict obligation for real time electronic transmission.
Lawmakers who opposed the amendment argued that embedding a rigid technical process into the law could limit INEC’s flexibility, particularly in areas with poor network coverage and infrastructural challenges.
They maintained that allowing INEC to decide how and when to deploy technology would ensure adaptability and prevent logistical failures that could undermine elections in remote communities.
However, civil society organisations and opposition parties have criticised the Senate’s decision, arguing that mandatory electronic transmission would strengthen transparency, reduce manipulation, and restore public confidence in the electoral process.
Akpabio urged Nigerians to clearly distinguish between rejecting electronic transmission outright and rejecting its mandatory imposition.
“If you are in doubt, we will make our final votes and proceedings available to you. Please don’t go with the crowd,” he said.
The debate highlights a broader tension in Nigeria’s electoral reforms over whether technology should remain a tool controlled by INEC through guidelines or become a strict statutory requirement embedded in law.
As the National Assembly continues deliberations on amendments to the Electoral Act ahead of future elections, the question of mandatory electronic transmission remains one of the most politically sensitive and closely watched aspects of Nigeria’s democratic reform process.
