Senate's Electoral Act Amendment Ignites National Debate Over Electronic Results Transmission
The Nigerian political landscape has been set ablaze with controversy following the Senate's recent passage of the Electoral Act 2022 Repeal and Reenactment Amendment Bill 2026. This legislative move has triggered intense scrutiny from civil society organizations and sparked renewed public debate about the future of Nigeria's electoral framework.
Senate Maintains Status Quo on Results Transmission
At the heart of the controversy lies the Senate's decision to retain existing provisions regarding election results transmission rather than implementing mandatory electronic transfer. Lawmakers specifically declined to approve a proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, which would have compelled presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission to transmit polling unit results electronically to the IREV portal in real time following voting procedures.
Instead, the upper chamber upheld the current wording of the law, which grants INEC the authority to determine how results are transmitted based on prevailing conditions across the nation's diverse polling units.
Akpabio Clarifies Senate's Position on 'Real-Time' Wording
Senate President Godswill Akpabio addressed mounting concerns during a public forum at a book launch focused on legislative responsibilities. He emphasized that the Senate did not abolish electronic transmission of results but rather removed the specific term 'real-time' to prevent potential legal complications.
'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,' Akpabio explained.
The Senate President clarified that electronic transmission remains permissible under Nigerian law, with INEC retaining discretionary power to implement it according to specific circumstances and infrastructure availability across different regions.
Civil Society Warns of Rural Voter Exclusion
Nigeria Integrity Watch has emerged as a vocal critic of the Senate's decision, issuing a strong warning about the potential consequences of mandatory real-time transmission. In a statement released on Monday, February 3, the organization cautioned that millions of voters in rural and conflict-affected areas could face disenfranchisement if elections become overly dependent on digital systems.
The group's spokesperson, Dr. John Samuel Nang, highlighted the reality of weak telecommunications infrastructure in numerous Nigerian communities, making seamless digital transmission impractical in many regions. 'Even making ordinary phone calls has become difficult due to network failures,' Nang noted, underscoring the infrastructural challenges that could undermine electoral participation.
Infrastructure and Sovereignty Concerns Raised
Nigeria Integrity Watch raised multiple additional concerns regarding the push for mandatory real-time transmission:
- The fragility of Nigeria's national power grid, with potential outages during elections that could disrupt the entire electoral process
- Questions about national sovereignty, noting that Nigeria lacks full control over satellite infrastructure used for data transmission
- Reference to past Supreme Court rulings that recognized electronic transmission as supplementary rather than a replacement for manual collation
The organization urged stakeholders to prioritize infrastructure improvement before revisiting proposals for mandatory real-time transmission. They specifically called upon the Nigerian Communications Commission and telecom operators to expand nationwide coverage, emphasizing that technology should strengthen democracy rather than limit voter participation.
Political Opposition Voices Strong Objections
Major opposition political parties in Nigeria have united in condemning the Senate's decision. The Peoples Democratic Party, African Democratic Congress, and New Nigeria Peoples Party jointly rejected the Senate's move, arguing that the proposed amendment would have strengthened electoral transparency by ensuring immediate upload of results after voting, thereby reducing risks of alteration during manual movement of result sheets.
This political opposition adds another layer to the ongoing debate, highlighting the complex interplay between technological advancement, electoral integrity, and inclusive democratic participation in Africa's most populous nation.
