SENATE PASSES ELECTORAL ACT AMENDMENT BILL, DENIES REJECTION OF ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF RESULTS

The Senate on Wednesday passed the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026, following a marathon session that lasted several hours, while firmly dismissing claims that it rejected the electronic transmission of election results.

Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, made the clarification shortly after the passage of the bill, saying reports circulating on social media suggesting that lawmakers voted against electronic transmission of results were false and misleading.

Deliberations on the contentious amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the bill commenced around 2:00 pm and stretched until 6:26 pm, sparking widespread speculation online that the Senate had opposed mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results.

Reports had claimed that the upper chamber rejected a proposal seeking to compel presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit election results electronically from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal in real time after signing and stamping the prescribed result forms.

Instead, the Senate was said to have retained the existing provision of the Electoral Act, 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.

”However, Akpabio insisted that the interpretation was inaccurate, stressing that the Senate did not remove electronic transmission from the law.

Addressing journalists, Senate spokesperson, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, also dismissed the reports, stating that the Senate did not reject the committee’s recommendation on electronic transmission of results to the IREV portal in real time, but merely avoided creating legal technicalities.

Adaramodu further explained that the amendment removed the power to declare a runner-up as winner in situations where a candidate earlier declared by INEC was later found not to be qualified to contest the election.

Clarifying the position of the Senate, Akpabio said:“Distinguished colleagues, the social media is already awash with reports that the Senate has rejected electronic transmission of results.

That is not true. What we did was to retain the electronic transmission provision already in the Act, which was used in 2022.“This Senate, under my watch, has not rejected electronic transmission of results.

It is in my interest as a participant in the next election for such to be done. We have retained the previous provision, which allows for electronic transmission, and we cannot afford to go backwards.

”The issue of electronic transmission of election results has remained a sensitive and widely debated aspect of Nigeria’s electoral reforms since the 2023 general elections, with civil society organisations and opposition parties calling for clearer legal provisions to enhance transparency and public confidence in the electoral process.

Akpabio said his intervention was aimed at addressing public concerns and correcting what he described as deliberate or careless misrepresentation of the Senate’s action on the bill as the National Assembly continues work on electoral reforms ahead of future elections.

Following the passage of the bill, the Senate announced the composition of a conference committee to harmonise its version with that of the House of Representatives.

Members of the committee are Senators Adeniyi Adegbonmire (Ondo Central) as chairman, Tahir Monguno (Borno North), Simon Lalong (Plateau South), Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North), Abba Moro (Benue South), Asuquo Ekpeyong (Cross River South), Aminu Abbas (Adamawa Central) and Tokunbo Abiru (Lagos East).

Meanwhile, the Senate has adjourned plenary until February 24, 2026, to enable lawmakers concentrate on the 2026 budget defence by ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).