Senate Approves Electronic Transmission of Results; Retains Manual Backup

Posted by African Examiner Uncategorized Tuesday, February 10th, 2026

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Senate has approved the electronic transmission of election results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV), while allowing manual collation to serve as a fallback where technology fails.

The decision came during an emergency plenary session on Tuesday, following a reconsideration of a contentious clause in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

However, the upper chamber stopped short of making electronic transmission compulsory and rejected a proposal for real-time upload of results.

Under the amended provision, presiding officers at polling units are required to electronically transmit results to the IReV portal after voting concludes and documentation is completed.

The new clause also provides that where electronic transmission cannot be completed due to communication or network challenges, the manual result sheet, Form EC8A, will serve as the primary basis for collation and declaration of results.

While putting the motion to a voice vote, Senate President Godswill Akpabio advised senators who opposed the amendment to present a formal counter-motion.

“It’s very simple. If you disagree with him, move your counter motion. So, if you agree with him, you agree with me when I put the votes,” Akpabio said.

He explained that the motion before the chamber sought to reverse an earlier Senate decision concerning Section 60, Subsection 3 of the Electoral Act.

“When I ask for the votes, when I ask for your consent, let me read the motion. His earlier motion, which passed in our last sitting, he has sought to rescind that. That is in respect of Section 60, Subsection 3,” Akpabio stated.

Reading the revised clause, Akpabio said presiding officers must transmit results electronically after Form EC8A has been signed and stamped, and where possible, countersigned by party agents.

He added that the amendment takes into account situations where electronic transmission is not feasible.

“Provided that if the electronic transmission of the results fails as a result of communication failure, in other words, maybe network or otherwise, and it becomes impossible to transmit the results electronically… the Form EC8A shall in such a case be the primary source of collation and declaration of results,” he said.

The amendment has drawn criticism from civil society organisations and opposition figures, who argue that allowing manual results to take precedence in certain cases could weaken transparency and create opportunities for manipulation, particularly in areas with poor network coverage.