By Nworisa Michael
The Nigerian Senate has voted down a proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3 of the Electoral Amendment Bill 2026 that sought to make electronic transmission of election results compulsory ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The provision under consideration would have required presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to electronically upload results from each polling unit to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal in real time, immediately after completing the prescribed Form EC8A. The form must be signed and stamped by the presiding officer and countersigned by party agents before transmission.
During plenary on Wednesday, lawmakers deliberated on the clause but opted not to adopt the proposed change, choosing instead to retain the current wording of the Electoral Act. Under the existing law, the presiding officer is required to “transfer the results, including the total number of accredited voters and the results of the ballot, in a manner as prescribed by the Commission,” leaving the method of transmission to INEC’s discretion rather than making real-time electronic uploads mandatory.
The decision represents a departure from earlier positions in the House of Representatives, which had passed a version of the amendment mandating electronic transmission of results as part of broader reforms to strengthen transparency in Nigeria’s electoral process.
Senators also debated other sections of the Electoral Amendment Bill on Wednesday, but the decision to reject the mandatory e-transmission clause underscores continued caution within the upper chamber about how technology requirements are integrated into election law.
The Senate’s action preserves INEC’s operational flexibility over how results are collated and communicated, even as Nigerians and civil society groups continue to call for reforms to enhance credibility and transparency in future elections.