In a significant U-turn amid mounting public pressure and an earlier rowdy session, the Nigerian Senate on Tuesday re-amended the Electoral Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill, 2026, to explicitly accommodate the electronic transmission of election results from polling units.
The upper chamber rescinded its prior rejection of mandatory electronic transmission provisions and adopted a revised Clause 60(3). This allows presiding officers to electronically transmit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing (IReV) portal after completing and signing the prescribed Form EC8A the declaration of results sheet used at polling units.
However, the amendment includes a key caveat to address practical challenges: in the event of internet failure or when electronic transmission is impossible, the signed Form EC8A will serve as the primary means of result collation and declaration.
The decision follows intense backlash after the Senate’s initial February 4 passage of the bill, which retained discretionary powers for INEC on transmission methods and omitted “real-time” mandates prompting protests, civil society outcry, and emergency plenary demands. Tuesday’s session saw lawmakers respond to calls for stronger transparency safeguards ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The revised provision permits electronic uploads post-Form EC8A signing but stops short of enforcing compulsory real-time transmission nationwide, balancing technological aspirations with Nigeria’s uneven network coverage, power issues, and security concerns in certain regions.
As reported by Premium Times, the Senate’s re-amendment aims to restore public confidence in electoral integrity while providing fallback mechanisms to prevent disenfranchisement or disputes in connectivity-challenged areas. The bill now awaits harmonization with the House of Representatives’ version before presidential assent.
Stakeholders remain divided: proponents hail the inclusion of electronic transmission as progress toward digitization, while critics argue the internet failure caveat and lack of mandatory real-time requirements could still enable manipulation at collation stages. Further developments are expected as the National Assembly works toward finalizing the amended Electoral Act.
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