Senate Passes Electoral Act Amendment Bill, Refutes Claims of Rejecting Electronic Transmission of Results

By Iyojo Ameh

The Senate on Wednesday passed the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026, after a marathon session that lasted several hours, firmly dismissing claims that it rejected the electronic transmission of election results.
Following the passage of the bill, Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, addressed reports circulating on social media suggesting that the upper chamber had voted against electronic transmission of results.

He described such reports as false and misleading.
Deliberations on the contentious amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3 of the bill commenced around 2:00pm and stretched until 6:26pm, a development that fueled online speculation that lawmakers had voted against mandatory electronic transmission of election results.
Reports had earlier claimed that the Senate rejected a proposal seeking to compel presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit election results electronically from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal in real time, after signing and stamping the prescribed result forms.
According to those reports, the Senate was said to have 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.”
However, Akpabio insisted that such interpretations were incorrect, stressing that the Senate did not remove electronic transmission from the law.
In the same vein, Senate Spokesperson, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, told journalists that the Senate did not reject the committee’s recommendation that election results be transmitted to INEC’s IREV portal in real time, noting that the aim was to avoid technical ambiguities.
Adaramodu further explained that the amendment also removed the power to declare a runner-up as winner in cases where a candidate earlier declared by INEC was later found not to be qualified to contest the election.
Clarifying the Senate’s position on electronic transmission, Akpabio said:
“Distinguished colleagues, the social media is already awash with reports that the Senate has literally rejected electronic transmission of results. That is not true. 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.
“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. So please don’t go with the crowd.
“We have retained what was in the previous provision by way of amendment. That was all we did. The previous provision has made allowance for electronic transmission, so it is still there as part of our law. We cannot afford to be going backwards.”
The issue of electronic transmission of election results has remained a sensitive and widely debated aspect of Nigeria’s electoral reforms since the 2023 general elections, with civil society organisations and opposition parties calling for clearer legal provisions to enhance transparency and public confidence in the electoral process.
Akpabio said his intervention was intended to calm public concerns and correct what he described as deliberate or careless misrepresentation of the Senate’s action on the bill, as the National Assembly continues work on amendments ahead of future elections.
The Senate also announced the membership of the Conference Committee that will harmonise the Senate version of the bill with that of the House of Representatives. The members are Senators Adeniyi Adegbonmire (Ondo Central), who will serve as chairman, Tahir Monguno (Borno North), Simon Lalong (Plateau South), Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North), Abba Moro (Benue South), Asuquo Ekpeyong (Cross River South), Aminu Abbas (Adamawa Central), and Tokumbo Abiru (Lagos East).
Meanwhile, the Senate has adjourned plenary until February 24, 2026, to enable it to focus on the defence of the 2026 budget by ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).