New details have surfaced on the Senate’s decision to reject a proposal aimed at making real-time electronic transmission of election results compulsory ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The measure was part of the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2026 (SB. 903). It involved an amendment to Clause 60(3), which sought to require presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to upload polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time.
The proposal, which also included broader reforms on election timelines, penalties for electoral offences, and voting technology, was ultimately rejected by the 10th Senate under the leadership of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The main point of contention was Section 60(3) of the bill, which addresses the transmission of polling unit results. The provision was recommended by the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, chaired by Senator Simon Lalong (APC, Plateau South).
According to sources, during a clause-by-clause review of the committee’s report, the Senate initially considered a version that maintained real-time electronic transmission.
However, after hours of discussion that extended late into the evening, the final version passed by the Senate removed the provision at the last minute.
Sources told Vanguard that this occurred even though electronic transmission had previously been approved overwhelmingly in a closed Senate session.
An ad-hoc committee, led by Senator Niyi Adegbonmire (APC, Ondo Central), had also recommended the measure after more than a year of consultations.
The Adegbonmire committee engaged INEC, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders through joint sessions and zonal public hearings, where a consensus reportedly emerged that electronic transmission should be explicitly legalised to prevent the legal challenges seen after the 2023 elections.
Page 45 of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters’ report outlined Clause 60(3): “The Presiding Officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the IREV portal in real time and such transmission shall be done after the prescribed Form EC8A has been signed and stamped by the Presiding Officer and/or countersigned by the candidates or polling agents available at the polling unit.”
A source said many senators expected the clause to pass without difficulty, given prior approvals. “That was when the unexpected happened,” the source said, noting that three senior Southern senators reportedly intervened.
The source added that these senators approached the Senate President, urging him to retain the provision in the 2022 Electoral Act.
Akpabio is said to have upheld the current law, which permits electronic transmission only after votes are counted and publicly announced at polling units.
As a result, the word “transmission” was replaced with “transfer,” in line with the 2022 Act, even though no further debate occurred on the Senate floor.
The rejected amendment would have required immediate, real-time upload of results to IReV following completion of Form EC8A.
The provision adopted instead states: “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.”
In response to widespread criticism over the rejection of the real-time transmission amendment, the Senate has scheduled an emergency plenary sitting tomorrow, February 10, 2026, at 12:00 noon, instead of the earlier planned February 24 session.
