Senate President Godswill Akpabio has explained that the upper legislative chamber did not discard electronic transmission of election results but only retained the existing provision of the 2022 Electoral Act, citing concerns over practicality and legal implications.
Gatekeepers News reports that Akpabio gave the clarification on Saturday in Abuja during a public event marking the launch of a book focused on the challenges and responsibilities of lawmakers in Nigeria. He said the Senate’s decision was widely misunderstood, stressing that electronic transmission of results remains permitted under the law.
According to him, lawmakers only agreed to remove the phrase “real time” from the provision, arguing that insisting on immediate transmission could create legal and technical complications.
Akpabio explained that network failures, poor connectivity in remote areas, and security concerns could hinder instant uploads, which may later become grounds for legal disputes.
“All we said during discussion was that we should remove the word ‘real-time’ because if you say real-time, then there is a network or grid failure and the network is not working. When you go to court, somebody will say it ought to have been real-time. That was all we said,” he stated.
He added that the decision was aimed at giving the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the flexibility to determine the most appropriate and reliable method for transmitting results, taking into account Nigeria’s diverse terrain, security challenges, and uneven technological infrastructure.
The Senate President maintained that the National Assembly remains committed to passing laws that reflect the interests and aspirations of Nigerians, insisting that the chamber has no intention of weakening electoral transparency or accountability.
Reacting to the development, former Senate President David Mark said the legislature should allow INEC the discretion to decide whether election results should be transmitted electronically, noting that operational decisions are better handled by the electoral body.
He also disclosed that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) fully supports the use of electronic transmission as a tool for improving transparency and public confidence in elections.
The clarification followed widespread public criticism after the Senate last week passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026 through a third reading without approving a proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, which sought to make electronic transmission of results compulsory.
Under the rejected amendment, presiding officers of INEC would have been required to transmit polling unit results electronically to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal immediately after completing, signing, and stamping the prescribed result forms, with party agents countersigning.
Instead, 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.”
The decision has continued to generate debate among political actors, civil society groups, and election observers, many of whom argue that mandatory electronic transmission would significantly reduce manipulation, speed up collation, and enhance the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process.
