Outrage As Senate Rejects Real Time E-Transmission Of Results – Independent Newspaper Nigeria

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…Passes Long-Awaited Electoral Act Amendment Bill
…Denies Court Power To Declare Runners Up, Winners
…Reduces Notice Of Poll Publication From 360 To 180 Days
…Atiku, PDP, Yabagi, Okorie, Others Berate Upper Chamber

Outrage on Wednesday trailed Senate’s reversal of the real time upload of election results from polling units to the IReV portal and replacement with the pro­vision in the 2022 Electoral Act which merely stipulated electron­ic or manual transfer.

Earlier, the Committee on Electoral Matters had recom­mended that the presiding officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the IReV portal in real time.

Under the retained provision, election results are to be trans­ferred “in a manner as prescribed by the commission,” without making electronic transmission compulsory.

But the President of the Sen­ate, Godswill Akpabio, immedi­ately dismissed the report of re­versed electronic transmission saying it is not correct.

He said the Senate only re­tained what was in the previous provision.

“So it is still there as part of our laws. And I think we should be moving forward, not moving backwards. There is no way we can, in this era of electronics, we will now be going backwards.”

Reacting to the new develop­ment, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) berated the upper chamber of the National Assem­bly for rejecting the electronic transmission of election results at the polling units.

The party described the rejec­tion as shameful and harmful to democratic consolidation, add­ing that it attracts condemnation from all democratic-minded per­sons.

PDP, in a statement by its Na­tional Publicity Secretary, Com­rade Ini Ememobong, charged the lawmakers to remember that they are delegates of power invested in them by the voters in their various constituencies and must endeavour to mirror their desires and wishes at all times.

“It is common knowledge that the majority of Nigerians all across the 109 Senatorial districts desire electoral sanctity which is better guaranteed through the electronic transmission of votes from the polling units.”

Former Vice President and chieftain of the African Dem­ocratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has condemned in the strongest terms, the decision of the Senate to reject the real-time electronic transmission of elec­tion results.

A statement by Atiku reads, “This ill-advised action rep­resents a grave setback for elector­al reform and a calculated blow against transparency, credibility, and public trust in Nigeria’s dem­ocratic process.

“At a time when democracies across the world are strength­ening their electoral systems through technology, the Nigeri­an Senate has chosen to cling to opacity, protect loopholes, and preserve a system that has histor­ically enabled manipulation, tam­pering, and post-election disputes.

“Real-time electronic trans­mission of results is not a parti­san demand; it is a democratic safeguard. It reduces human interference, limits result ma­nipulation, and ensures that the will of the voter—expressed at the polling unit—is faithfully reflect­ed in the final outcome.

“To reject it, and adopt the 2022 provision on so-called electronic transmission of results is to sig­nal an unwillingness to submit elections to public scrutiny.

This decision raises troubling questions about the commitment of the ruling political establish­ment to free, fair, and credible elections in 2027.”

Engr. Sani Yabagi, National Chairman of Action Democratic Party (ADP), faulted the decision of the Senate to reject the trans­mission of election result elec­tronically, saying that the upper chamber of the National Assem­bly has disappointed Nigerians.

He said, “It’ll be an anti-climax as far as the expectations of Nige­rians are concerned. Because it’s not as if the Electoral Act didn’t contain enough improvements. We have 2022 Electoral Acts. It has enough improvements compared to the one we’re using before that Act. Only reason why Nigerians are asking for an amendment is because of the lacuna. Because of gaps, especially in the area of transmission of results from the polling unit to the IReV. So, it’s an anti-climax. I don’t know what reasons that National Assembly may have advanced.”

On his part, Chief Chekwas Okorie, founder and pioneer national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), warned that the Senate should be ready to bear the conse­quences of its action for signaling imposition of leadership.

He said, “The Senate is al­ready preparing the country for an imposition of leadership. They should also be prepared for the consequences of the outcome, the consequence of that type of indiscretion.

“Because there’s a wider implication. The wider implica­tion is that Nigerians are going to wait at the polling units and have the results announced and take their record of the results announced at the polling units. Even if they compromise poll­ing agents of opposition parties, Nigerians will be there to take record of what is announced at the polling units and transmit same to their parties. And if what they announce later is at variance with what Nigerians have put together, the aggregate of the votes and distribution of the votes as they have observed, then they should hold them­selves responsible for what will come out of that rejection of the manipulated results. Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gunpowder.

Other key amendments ad­opted by the Senate, seek to bar the courts from declaring a run­ner-up winner of an election in which he/she scored less than 20 percent of the total votes cast, in situations where the actual win­ner gets disqualified.

In this instance, the court is re­quired to order a re-run that will exclude such disqualified candi­dates and the political party that fielded such ineligible candidates.

This relates mainly to candi­dates who used forged certificates for INEC screening during their nomination processes.

Other amendments clarified the consequences of candidate disqualification, particularly in cases involving forged or fake documents.

Under the new provisions, political parties would no longer be allowed to replace candidates disqualified after an election, and where necessary, fresh polls would be conducted excluding both the disqualified candidate and the sponsoring party.

The Senate also changed the N500,000 fine for anyone unlaw­fully found with a voter’s card to N5 million and two years’ impris­onment.

Addressing the Senate after the passage of the bill, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, said there was no deliberate attempt on the part of the Nigerian Sen­ate to delay the amendment of the Electoral Act.

He said the Senate intention has always been to ensure that “we do our best and do it painstak­ingly, taking our time to ensure that what comes out reflects the yearnings and aspirations of all Nigerians.

“We want to be sure that the next election will answer all ques­tions connected with the amend­ments to the Electoral Act 2022.

“But the social media already is awash with the report that the Senate has rejected electronic transmission of results; that is not true.”

According to him: “The elec­tronic transmission has always been in our hearts and what we did was to return the electronic transmission which have been in the Act which 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 and you are entitled so that you will see this Senate under my watch has not rejected electronic transmission of results. It’s in my interest as a participant in the next election for such to be done so please don’t go with the crowd.”

The Senate approved sever­al clauses of the Electoral Bill following consideration at the Committee of the Whole, while insisting that it did not reject elec­tronic transmission of election results as widely speculated on social media.

During plenary, the Senate President confirmed that claus­es 1, 23 to 27, 30 to 31, 33 to 42, 43 to 46, 48 to 59, 61, 63 to 76, 78 to 85, 87 to 141, 143 to 155, as well as the interpretation clauses, schedules, explanatory memorandum, and short title were adopted as recom­mended.

He disclosed that clauses 22, 28 to 29, 32, 42, 47, 60, 62, 77, 86, and the long title were adopted with amendments, while clause 142 was deleted.

Following the adoption of the report, the Senate resolved to set up a Conference Committee to harmonise differences between its version of the bill and that earlier passed by the House of Representatives.

The Senate President said the Conference Committee is expect­ed to work expeditiously and sub­mit a harmonised version of the bill within the month to enable transmission to the president for assent and allow preparations, including procurement, to com­mence.

He announced the member­ship of the Senate Conference Committee to include Senator Mohammed Tayed Monguno as Chairman, alongside Sena­tors Adamu Ade (North-West), Orji Uzor Kalu (South-East), Abba Moro (North-Central), Asuquo Ekpenyong (South- South), Aminu Abbas (North- East), and Tokunbo Abiru (South-West).

However, the plenary was briefly disrupted following ob­jections raised by Senator Ali Ndume over the composition of the committee. The Senate Presi­dent subsequently ruled that Sen­ator Ndume be excluded from the committee, a decision that was upheld by a voice vote of senators.

Thereafter, the Senate ad­journed plenary sitting to Febru­ary 24 to enable lawmakers focus on the consideration of the 2026 budget, with the chairman of the Appropriations Committee expected to issue a timetable for budget defence by ministries, de­partments and agencies.

Speaking during the debate, a senator argued that making elec­tronic transmission mandatory could pose challenges in areas with poor network coverage.

“While technology has its benefits, we must also be real­istic about the infrastructural limitations in many parts of the country. The current law gives INEC the flexibility to determine the most effective mode of trans­mission,” he said.

Another lawmaker supported the decision, noting that the ex­isting Act already accommodates the use of technology where fea­sible.

“The law does not prohibit electronic transmission. It simply allows INEC to deploy it as appro­priate. What we have done today is to preserve that discretion,” the senator stated.

The Senate also rejected Clause 47 of the proposed bill, which sought to allow electron­ically generated voter identifi­cation, including downloadable voter cards with QR codes, for voter accreditation.

As a result, the requirement for voters to present a physical Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) remains unchanged. However, the use of the Bimodal Voter Ac­creditation System (BVAS) or any other INEC-prescribed device for voter verification was upheld.

Reacting to the decision, a sen­ator emphasised the importance of maintaining public confidence in the electoral process.

“The PVC remains a trusted instrument in our electoral sys­tem. Until all concerns around digital alternatives are fully ad­dressed, it is safer to retain what the people are familiar with,” he said.

The consideration of the Elec­toral Act, 2025 bill is expected to continue as the Senate examines other proposed amendments aimed at improving Nigeria’s electoral process.