RismadarVoice Reporters
February 4, 2026
The Senate has dismissed reports suggesting that it rejected the electronic transmission of election results during consideration of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill.
The clarification was given by the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, shortly after the upper chamber passed the bill following a marathon plenary session that lasted about four and a half hours.
Deliberations on the contentious amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3 of the bill began at about 2:00 p.m. and ended at 6:26 p.m., a development that sparked widespread speculation on social media that lawmakers had voted against mandatory electronic transmission of election results.
Reports circulating online claimed that the Senate had rejected a proposal that would compel presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to electronically transmit results from each polling unit to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal in real time after signing and stamping the prescribed result forms.
It was further alleged that the Senate opted to retain 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 described the reports as misleading, insisting that the Senate did not remove electronic transmission from the law.
“Distinguished colleagues, the social media is already awash with reports that the Senate has literally rejected electronic transmission of results. That is not true,” Akpabio said.
“What we did was to retain the electronic transmission which has been in the Act and was used in 2022. This Senate under my watch has not rejected the electronic transmission of results. It is in my interest as a participant in the next election for such to be done.”
He stressed that the Senate merely retained the existing provision in the law through amendment, noting that the previous version already made allowance for electronic transmission.
“We have retained what was in the previous provision by way of amendment. Electronic transmission is still part of our law. We cannot afford to be going backwards,” he added.
Akpabio also assured Nigerians that the Senate’s final votes and proceedings would be made available to anyone seeking clarification.
The issue of electronic transmission of results has remained one of the most sensitive aspects of Nigeria’s electoral reforms since the 2023 general elections, with civil society organisations and opposition parties consistently calling for clearer and more explicit legal backing to enhance transparency and public confidence in the electoral process.
