Electoral Act Amendment: Opposition protests as senators back manual results transmission

The Senate on Tuesday bowed to intense public pressure and approved the electronic transmission of election results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal, IReV, while permitting manual collation to serve as a backup where technology fails.

The decision followed an emergency reconsideration of a disputed clause in the Electoral Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill, 2026, after days of nationwide outrage, street protests, and sustained criticism from opposition figures, civil society organisations and youth movements.

However, the Upper Chamber stopped short of making electronic transmission compulsory and rejected calls for the explicit inclusion of real-time upload of results, a key demand by protesters who accused lawmakers of attempting to weaken electoral safeguards ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Under the reviewed provision, presiding officers at polling units are required to electronically transmit results to the IReV portal after voting and documentation have been completed.

The amendment, however, provides that where electronic transmission cannot be carried out due to communication or network challenges, the manual result sheet, Form EC8A, shall become the primary basis for collation and declaration.

While putting the motion to a voice vote, Senate President Godswill Akpabio urged senators who opposed the amendment to formally challenge it on the floor.

“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 on Section 60, Subsection 3 of the Electoral Act, which had triggered public backlash.

“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. And this is what he said,” Akpabio stated.

Reading the amended clause, the Senate President said, “That the presiding officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the IReV portal.

“And such transmission shall be done after the prescribed Form EC8A has been signed and stamped by the presiding officer and/or countersigned by the candidates or polling agents, where available at the polling units, because sometimes you don’t see any polling agent.”

Akpabio added that the law now accommodates situations where electronic transmission becomes impossible.

“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 in Form EC8A signed and stamped by the presiding officer and/or countersigned by the candidates or polling agents where available at the polling units, the Form EC8A shall in such a case be the primary source of collation and declaration of results,” he said.

Despite the Senate’s clarification, the amendment has continued to raise concerns among opposition parties and civil society groups, who argue that allowing manual results to override electronically transmitted ones could weaken transparency and reopen the door to manipulation, particularly in areas with poor network coverage.