No Backtracking, Senate Says as Lawmakers Defend Real-Time Results Transmission

Jane Salihu

The Senate on Thursday clarified that it remains firmly committed to real-time electronic transmission of election results, dismissing reports that lawmakers had rejected the provision in the 2026 Electoral Bill.

The clarification followed public backlash over claims that the Senate removed Section 60(3) of the bill, which empowers the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to electronically transmit polling unit results in real time to the IReV portal.

Rising to address the controversy, 13 serving senators drawn from different political parties, led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP, Abia South), briefed journalists at the National Assembly to correct what they described as a “wrong public impression” created by media reports.

Section 60(3) of the bill provides that “the Presiding Officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the IReV portal in real time after Form EC8A has been duly signed and stamped, and countersigned by candidates or their polling agents where available.”

The confusion arose on Wednesday during clause-by-clause consideration of the bill when Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the passage of Clause 60 “as amended,” prompting widespread reports that the provision for electronic transmission had been rejected.

However, addressing journalists 24 hours later,
Senator Abaribe insisted that the Senate did not jettison electronic transmission of results, stressing that lawmakers only discarded the old “transfer of results” system contained in the 2022 Electoral Act.
“To put the record straight, the Senate did not, I repeat, did not reject electronic transmission of results,” Abaribe said. “What we passed is electronic transmission, and the Senate President himself clarified this during plenary.”

He assured Nigerians that senators across party lines would closely monitor the provision to ensure that the final version transmitted to the President for assent retains real-time electronic transmission of results.

“We are here to assure Nigerians that this very important provision will be monitored to the point of transmission to Mr President for assent,” he added.

Also speaking, Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) described reports suggesting the Senate rejected electronic transmission as “painful” and misleading.

“At no time since the process for a new Electoral Act began in September last year did the Senate abandon the need for a legal framework for electronic transmission of election results by INEC,” Ningi said.

“This negative narrative against the Senate and the National Assembly must stop.

He pledged that lawmakers would ensure Section 60(3) remains intact in the final document forwarded to the President.

Other senators present at the briefing included Austin Akobundu (PDP, Abia Central), Peter Jiya (PDP, Niger South), Ireti Kingibe (ADC, FCT), Victor Umeh (LP, Anambra Central), Binos Yaroe (PDP, Adamawa South), Kabeeb Mustapha (PDP, Jigawa South West), Khalid Mustapha (PDP, Kaduna North), Mohammed Ogoshi Onawo (APC, Nasarawa South), Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (PDP, Sokoto South), Tony Nwoye (LP, Anambra North) and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central).