Senate passes Electoral Act Amendment Bill, dismisses claims of rejecting electronic transmission

The Senate has passed the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, aimed at regulating the conduct of federal, state and Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The passage of the bill came amid clarifications by the upper chamber, which dismissed media reports claiming that lawmakers rejected the electronic transmission of election results during deliberations on the legislation.

The bill was passed on Wednesday after lawmakers, sitting as the Committee of the Whole, considered it clause by clause. It was the only item on the Order Paper following a valedictory session in honour of the late Senator Okey Ezea.

In all, the Senate considered and adopted 155 clauses, with some provisions amended while the majority were retained as originally proposed.

Senate Reacts to Reports on Electronic Transmission

Following the bill’s passage after a marathon session lasting about four and a half hours, Senate President Godswill Akpabio addressed reports suggesting that the Senate voted against the mandatory electronic transmission of election results.

Consideration of the controversial Clause 60, Subsection 3, began at about 2:00pm and lasted until 6:26pm, sparking widespread speculation online that lawmakers had rejected compulsory electronic upload of results to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal.

Some reports claimed that the Senate discarded a proposal that would have compelled presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit polling unit results electronically in real time after signing and stamping the prescribed result forms.

Instead, the reports said the Senate retained 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.”

‘We Did Not Reject Electronic Transmission’ — Akpabio

Reacting, Akpabio described the interpretation 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.

“So please, do not allow people to confuse you. If you are in doubt, we will make our final votes and proceedings available to you if you apply.”

He stressed that under his leadership, the Senate had no intention of reversing electoral reforms.

“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.

“We have retained what was in the previous provision by way of amendment. That provision already allows for electronic transmission. So it is still part of our law. We cannot afford to go backwards,” he added.

Ongoing Debate Over Electoral Reforms
The issue of electronic transmission of results has remained one of the most contentious aspects of Nigeria’s electoral reforms since the 2023 general elections, with civil society organisations and opposition parties repeatedly calling for clearer and more explicit legal backing to enhance transparency and public confidence in the electoral process.

Akpabio said his clarification was aimed at calming public concerns and correcting what he described as deliberate or careless misrepresentation of the Senate’s actions as the National Assembly continues work on electoral reforms ahead of future elections.