The Senate has endorsed the electronic transmission of election results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV), but retained manual collation as a fallback option in cases of technological failure.
The approval followed a reconsideration of a contentious clause in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill during an emergency plenary session held on Tuesday, March 10, 2026.
However, the upper chamber declined to make electronic transmission mandatory and also 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, documentation, and the completion of statutory forms.
The amendment further provides that where electronic transmission is not feasible due to network or communication challenges, the manually completed result sheet, Form EC8A, shall serve as the primary basis for collation and declaration of results.
Putting the motion to a voice vote, Senate President Godswill Akpabio urged dissenting lawmakers to formally challenge the amendment through a 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 sought to reverse an earlier Senate decision on Section 60(3) of the Electoral Act.
Reading the revised clause, Akpabio stated that presiding officers “shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the IReV portal” after Form EC8A has been signed and stamped by the presiding officer and, where available, countersigned by candidates or their polling agents.
He noted that the law now accommodates situations where electronic transmission is impossible.
“Provided that if electronic transmission fails due to communication challenges, including network issues, and it becomes impossible to transmit the results electronically, the signed and stamped Form EC8A shall, in such a case, be the primary source for collation and declaration of results,” Akpabio said.
The amendment has drawn criticism from civil society groups and opposition figures, who warn that permitting manual results to take precedence over electronically transmitted ones could undermine transparency and open the door to manipulation, particularly in areas with weak network coverage.
