ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has clarified that the senate did not reject the electronic transmission of election results but simply modified the 2022 Electoral Act provision by removing the phrase “real-time.”
Speaking on Saturday at a book launch in Abuja, Akpabio explained that the change was intended to give the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) flexibility in determining the most effective method for transmitting election results, while accounting for technological and security challenges.
“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,” Akpabio said.
“When you go to court, somebody will say it ought to have been real-time. That was all we said.”
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Akpabio emphasised that electronic transmission remains fully permissible under the law and that the Senate remains committed to passing legislation that reflects the will of Nigerians.
Reacting to the clarification, former Senate President David Mark said the National Assembly should allow INEC to decide whether or not to transmit results electronically. He added that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) supports electronic result transmission.
The remarks follow public criticism after the Senate passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill, 2026, without adopting a proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3.
That amendment would have required INEC presiding officers to transmit results from polling units to the IREV portal in real time once the prescribed Form EC8A was signed and countersigned.
Instead, the Senate retained the existing provision stating that “the presiding officer shall transfer the results, including the total number of accredited voters and the results of the ballot, in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.”
Akpabio stressed that the decision was a technical adjustment to prevent potential legal challenges and to ensure that election results are transmitted reliably.