Nigeria’s Senate has voted down a proposal to legally require electronic transmission of election results, while maintaining that digital uploads remain permitted under existing electoral law.
The decision came during the Senate’s review of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, where lawmakers rejected changes to Clause 60(3) that would have forced presiding officers to electronically transmit polling unit results to INEC’s Result Viewing (IReV) portal immediately after signing Form EC8A.
The Senate chose to keep the current Electoral Act language, 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.”
This means electronic transmission remains an option for INEC, but won’t be written into law as an absolute requirement. The commission retains discretion over how results are delivered.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio quickly addressed public backlash, denying claims the chamber had banned electronic uploads altogether.
“The social media is already awash with reports that the Senate has rejected electronic transmission of results. That is not true,” Akpabio said after the bill passed following more than four hours of debate.
“We retained the electronic transmission provision that’s been in the Act since 2022. Please don’t let people confuse you.”
Akpabio emphasized the Senate rejected imposing a new mandatory requirement, not electronic transmission itself.
“This Senate has not rejected electronic transmission of results. We retained the previous provision. That provision already allows electronic transmission, so it remains part of our law. We cannot move backwards,” he said.
The Electoral Act 2022 doesn’t make electronic transmission mandatory. Section 60 allows results to be transferred “in a manner as prescribed by the Commission,” giving INEC authority to decide if, when and how tools like BVAS and the IReV portal are used. INEC relied on this provision to upload results electronically during the 2023 general elections, despite no legal obligation for real-time transmission.
The rejected amendment aimed to change this by compelling immediate electronic uploads — a reform civil society organizations and opposition parties say would increase transparency and reduce vote manipulation.
Lawmakers argued that locking rigid technical procedures into law could restrict INEC’s flexibility, particularly in areas with poor internet connectivity.
Akpabio called on Nigerians to understand the difference between rejecting electronic transmission and rejecting mandatory electronic transmission.
“If you’re in doubt, we’ll make our final votes and proceedings available to you. Please don’t just follow the crowd,” he added.
The debate reveals a key conflict in Nigeria’s electoral reform efforts: whether technology should remain under INEC’s control or become a binding legal requirement.
As the National Assembly continues work on Electoral Act amendments before upcoming elections, mandatory electronic transmission remains among the most contentious and closely monitored reform issues in Nigeria’s democracy.
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