Senate President Godswill Akpabio
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, has clarified that the National Assembly did not scrap or oppose the electronic transmission of election results, insisting that the Senate only retained the relevant provision as contained in the Electoral Act 2022.
Akpabio made the clarification on Saturday in Abuja while speaking at a book launch focused on the challenges and responsibilities of lawmakers in Nigeria, amid public criticism following the recent amendment of the electoral law.
According to the Senate President, electronic transmission of results remains permissible under the law, but lawmakers removed the phrase “real time” to prevent possible legal and operational complications.
Explaining the rationale behind the decision, Akpabio said:
“All we said during discussion was that we should remove the word ‘real-time’ because if you say real-time, then there is a network or grid failure and the network is not working.
When you go to court, somebody will say it ought to have been real-time. That was all we said.”
He stressed that the amendment was intended to give the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the flexibility to determine the most suitable method of transmitting results, taking into account technological limitations, security concerns and varying conditions across the country.
Akpabio further assured that the Senate remains committed to passing laws that reflect the aspirations and interests of Nigerians.
Reacting to the controversy, former Senate President David Mark said the National Assembly should allow INEC the discretion to decide whether or not to transmit election results electronically.
He also noted that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) fully supports the electronic transmission of election results.
Public outrage followed the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026 last week after it was approved through third reading.
While passing the bill, the upper chamber declined to approve a proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, which sought to make electronic transmission of election results mandatory.
The rejected amendment would have required INEC presiding officers to electronically transmit polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal in real time after the prescribed Form EC8A had been signed, stamped and countersigned by party agents.
Instead, the Senate adopted 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.”
Channels
