• The Senate endorses electronic transmission of results but keeps manual collation as safeguard
• Tension rises as Senate leadership clashes over procedure and Standing Orders
• Results to be uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) IReV portal, with Form EC8A decisive if technology fails

The Senate has once again approved the electronic transmission of election results, retaining manual collation as a fallback, after a stormy plenary over Clause 60 of the Electoral Act (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill, 2026.

During Tuesday’s sitting, lawmakers voted to keep the controversial manual backup proviso, with 55 senators supporting its retention and 15 opposing it. The dissenters, led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (ADC/Abia South), had pushed for real-time electronic transmission without a manual fallback.

The upper chamber had earlier passed the bill but was compelled to rescind that decision and recommit it to the Committee of the Whole after concerns surfaced regarding inconsistencies in several clauses and the timing of the 2027 general elections announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Heated debate over Clause 60

Tuesday’s proceedings were dominated by a renewed contest over Clause 60, which addresses the transmission and collation of election results. The tension escalated when Abaribe demanded a division on the clause, triggering a rowdy exchange.

The Abia South lawmaker had attempted a similar move during the previous emergency plenary but withdrew it under pressure, attracting public criticism and internal discontent within the chamber.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele stepped in to calm frayed nerves, saying, “Whether or not he has done that in the past, it is within his (Abaribe’s) rights to call for it. Let us allow him.”

Senate President Godswill Akpabio reminded colleagues of Abaribe’s earlier attempt, stating, “People were mocking you on social media,” and noted that the previous demand had been withdrawn. Opposition lawmakers immediately objected, arguing that the matter was validly before the Senate.

Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, citing Order 52(6) of the Senate Standing Orders, maintained that revisiting a provision already ruled upon would be procedurally out of order. His intervention sparked further uproar, during which Senator Sunday Karimi briefly confronted Abaribe.

Bamidele countered by explaining that he had formally moved a motion for rescission, effectively nullifying earlier decisions on the bill. He insisted that Abaribe’s call for a division was procedurally sound under the circumstances.

Each time Akpabio revisited the earlier withdrawal, Abaribe and several opposition senators shouted him down, heightening tensions in the chamber. Eventually, the Senate President put the matter to a vote.

Division vote and outcome

When the vote was called, 55 senators stood in support of retaining the manual backup proviso in Clause 60(3), including Senate Deputy Minority Leader Senator Lere Oyewunmi. Only Abaribe and 14 others voted against it, preferring exclusive reliance on electronic transmission.

With the majority prevailing, the manual backup clause was retained.

Under the amended provision, the manually completed and signed Form EC8A will serve as the primary basis for collation and declaration of results if electronic transmission is disrupted by network or communication challenges. 

While results are to be uploaded electronically to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV), the manual record at polling units remains legally decisive where technology fails.

Rescission and fresh consideration

Before the vote on Clause 60, the Senate had reversed its earlier passage of the bill. Rising under Order 52(6), Bamidele moved that the Electoral Act (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill, 2026, be rescinded and recommitted to the Committee of the Whole.

He said the motion followed INEC’s decision to schedule the 2027 general elections for February 2027. 

According to him, stakeholders had raised concerns that the proposed date might conflict with the statutory requirement that elections be held at least 360 days before the expiration of tenure, as stipulated in Clause 28 of the bill.

Bamidele also warned that conducting elections during Ramadan could negatively affect voter turnout, logistics, stakeholder participation, and the overall inclusiveness and credibility of the process.

He further pointed to inconsistencies in the bill’s Long Title and multiple clauses, including Clauses 6, 9, 10, 22, 23, 28, 29, 32, 42, 47, 51, 60, 62, 64, 65, 73, 77, 86, 87, 89, 93, and 143, particularly in areas of cross-referencing, numbering, and internal consistency.

The rescission nullified all prior legislative actions on the bill, allowing lawmakers to reconsider it from scratch. However, after clause-by-clause review, the position on electronic transmission remained unchanged.

Reactions and walkout

Following the defeat of the minority bloc, some aggrieved senators staged a walkout.

The renewed approval of electronic transmission comes amid sustained public pressure, protests, and criticism from civil society groups, youth movements, and opposition figures, who had accused lawmakers of attempting to weaken electoral safeguards ahead of the 2027 polls.

Although electronic transmission was reaffirmed, the Senate stopped short of making real-time uploads mandatory. 

Presiding officers are required to upload polling unit results to IReV after voting and documentation. Where network challenges prevent electronic transmission, the manually completed Form EC8A becomes the official basis for collation.

After the division, Akpabio commended both camps, saying, “Let me thank distinguished senators for their patriotism and display of democracy.

“Those in the minority showed courage by standing against the proviso, and those in the majority ensured the primary mode of election results remains the Form EC8A. Elections are won and lost at polling units, not collation centres,” he said.

He described electronic transmission as a significant innovation that enables election monitors, including foreign observers, to track results without physically visiting Nigeria’s more than 176,000 polling units.

However, Akpabio did not clarify whether the 2027 presidential election date would shift from February 20 to January 13, fuelling further speculation within political circles.

Outside the chamber, protests persisted at the National Assembly complex, as demonstrators under the banner of Occupy the National Assembly warned lawmakers against taking any steps that could undermine the credibility of the 2027 general elections.