The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has dismissed reports claiming that the Senate rejected the electronic transmission of election results during its consideration of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill.
Akpabio gave the clarification shortly after the Senate passed the bill following a long and intense plenary session that lasted about four and a half hours. According to him, reports circulating on social media and in some sections of the media misrepresented what the lawmakers actually decided.
The controversy arose during the consideration of a proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the bill. Debate on the clause began at about 2pm and continued until 6.26pm, leading to widespread speculation that the Senate had voted against mandatory electronic transmission of results.
Soon after the session, reports emerged claiming that the Senate had rejected a proposal that would have compelled presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to electronically transmit polling unit results in real time to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal after signing and stamping the prescribed result forms.
The reports further claimed that the Senate decided to retain the existing provision of the Electoral Act, which states that presiding officers should transfer results “in a manner as prescribed by the Commission,” without making electronic transmission compulsory.
However, Akpabio insisted that such interpretations were misleading and did not reflect the true position of the Senate.
“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 on the Senate floor.
“What we did was to retain the electronic transmission which has been in the Act and was used in 2022. So please do not allow people to confuse you,” he added.
The Senate President stressed that the Senate did not remove electronic transmission of results from the law. Instead, he explained that lawmakers simply retained the existing provision from the 2022 Electoral Act, which already allows the use of electronic transmission as part of the electoral process.
He noted that the retained provision gives INEC the legal backing to transmit results electronically, as it had done during the 2023 general elections.
“If you are in doubt, we will make our final votes and proceedings available to you if you apply. This Senate under my watch has not rejected the electronic transmission of results,” Akpabio said.
He further pointed out that he had a personal interest in ensuring that electronic transmission remains part of the electoral system, noting that he would be a participant in future elections.
“It is in my interest as a participant in the next election for such to be done. So please don’t go with the crowd,” he said.
Akpabio maintained that the Senate’s decision was not a step backward, but rather a continuation of existing legal provisions.
“We have retained what was in the previous provision by way of amendment. That was all we did. The previous provision has made allowance for electronic transmission, so it is still there as part of our law. We cannot afford to be going backwards,” he stated.
The issue of electronic transmission of election results has remained one of the most debated aspects of Nigeria’s electoral reforms, especially since the 2023 general elections.
During the 2023 polls, INEC introduced several technology-driven measures, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter verification and the IReV portal for uploading polling unit results. While BVAS was widely praised for improving the credibility of voter accreditation, the delay and failure in uploading some results to the IReV portal sparked public outrage and legal challenges.
Many Nigerians, civil society organisations, and opposition parties have since called for clearer and more explicit provisions in the Electoral Act to make electronic transmission of results mandatory, rather than optional.
They argue that mandatory real-time transmission would reduce human interference, prevent manipulation during result collation, and strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.
On the other hand, some lawmakers and stakeholders have expressed concerns about making electronic transmission compulsory in all cases. They point to challenges such as poor network coverage in rural areas, unstable power supply, and the risk of technical failures that could disrupt elections.
These differing views have made the amendment of Clause 60 one of the most sensitive and closely watched parts of the Electoral Act review.
Akpabio’s clarification appears aimed at calming public concerns and addressing fears that the Senate had weakened the role of technology in elections.
By insisting that electronic transmission remains part of the law, the Senate President sought to reassure Nigerians that the National Assembly is not rolling back the reforms introduced in recent years.
The Senate’s action also comes at a time when the National Assembly is under pressure to improve the credibility of elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Electoral reforms have been a major demand from the public since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, with repeated calls for transparent, free, and fair elections.
The amendment of the Electoral Act is seen as a key step in addressing some of the problems observed in past elections, including result manipulation, violence, and lack of trust in the system.
As the bill moves forward in the legislative process, attention will shift to how the final version addresses concerns raised by both supporters and critics of electronic transmission.
INEC, which is responsible for conducting elections, has previously said it supports the use of technology but needs flexibility to adapt to local conditions across the country.
Akpabio noted that the Senate’s decision preserves this flexibility while keeping electronic transmission as part of the legal framework.
For now, the Senate President’s statement has reopened debate on the interpretation of the amended law, with many Nigerians waiting to see the final text of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill once it is fully harmonized and made public.
