The Nigerian Senate has passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill 2026, retaining provisions that allow for the transmission of election results in a manner prescribed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), effectively permitting both electronic and manual methods without mandating real-time electronic upload.

In a key decision during the bill’s third reading earlier this month, senators rejected a proposed amendment to Clause 60(3) that would have required presiding officers to transmit polling unit results to INEC’s Result Viewing (IReV) portal in real time via electronic means after results are announced and forms are signed. Instead, the chamber adopted the existing language from the 2022 Electoral Act, which states that the presiding officer shall “transfer the results… in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.”

Senate leadership, including President Godswill Akpabio, has clarified that the decision does not outright reject electronic transmission, as the law already accommodates it at INEC’s discretion. They described reports of a complete ban on electronic methods as misleading, emphasizing that the amendment retains flexibility for the electoral body to use technology where feasible, while allowing manual processes as a fallback.

The move has sparked widespread controversy and public backlash, with critics—including opposition figures like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, civil society organizations, the Nigerian Bar Association, and the Nigerian Society of Engineers—arguing that removing the mandatory real-time electronic requirement weakens transparency, opens the door to manipulation during collation, and represents a setback for electoral integrity ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Protests erupted at the National Assembly complex, with demonstrators demanding the restoration of compulsory real-time e-transmission to curb fraud and build public trust. An emergency plenary session was convened amid mounting pressure, though the core provision on result transmission remained unchanged in the passed version.

The bill, which also includes other changes such as adjustments to election timelines, voter accreditation technology, and penalties for electoral offenses, now awaits harmonization with the House of Representatives’ version—where some reports indicate support for stronger electronic provisions—before heading to the president for assent. The outcome has intensified national debate over the future of credible elections in Nigeria.

Photo: Senate President , Godswill Akpabio

It is reconvening today for an emergency plenary session amid growing demands for the inclusion of mandatory electronic transmission of results in the amendment to the Electoral Act.

The upper chamber had adjourned plenary for two weeks last Wednesday after passing the Electoral Act amendment bill, to enable lawmakers to engage with heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in the defence of their 2026 budget proposals.

The notice of the emergency sitting was contained in a memo dated 8 February and circulated to senators.

It was signed by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo.

In the memo, Mr Odo said he was acting on the directive of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

The memo did not state the reason for the emergency plenary.

However, there are strong indications that it is connected to the outrage over the Electoral Act amendment bill passed last Wednesday before the adjournment.

Although several provisions of the law were amended, public attention has focused mainly on one controversial clause: the rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IREV).

• Peter Obi address the protesters in front of the National Assembly

The Executive Director of the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA), Ezenwa Nwagwu, has described the protest around the transmission of election results in real-time as a step in the right direction.

Nwagwu made the declaration during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday.

“The current agitation that we have seen around the electoral act amendment is positive.

Positive in the sense that we have continued to ask for more and more citizen oversight over governance, over the activities of those who govern us,” he said.

PACCA emphasised that the conversation should go beyond the election transmission of results to cover collation and more in depth involvement of political parties