In a dramatic U-turn, the Senate on Tuesday rescinded its earlier rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results, paving the way for a more flexible provision in the amended Electoral Act.
The upper chamber approved the change during an emergency plenary session, allowing results from polling units to be transmitted electronically to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IREV) after vote counting.
The motion was sponsored by Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North), who argued that the amendment aligns the law with the “wishes and aspirations of the people.”
Monguno emphasized during the session that updating the Electoral Act to reflect public demands for transparency and efficiency is essential for credible elections.
Minority Leader Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South) seconded the motion, signaling cross-party support for the reversal.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio put the proposal to a voice vote, which received majority support from the lawmakers present.
This decision reverses the Senate’s stance from last Wednesday’s clause-by-clause consideration, where Monguno had advocated retaining Clause 60 of the 2022 Electoral Act—allowing transmission to collation centers without specifying electronic means.
The earlier version of the amendment notably omitted any provision for electronic transmission, a gap now addressed through this re-amendment.
The shift comes amid ongoing protests over electoral integrity in Nigeria where electronic transmission via IREV was introduced in the 2022 general elections to curb result manipulation but faced challenges like network glitches.
Stakeholders, including civil society groups, have long championed electronic transmission for real-time result viewing to boost voter confidence.
INEC has yet to issue an official response, but experts anticipate the commission will need to update training and infrastructure to operationalize the dual-track system effectively.
RN
