Proceedings in the Senate turned rowdy on Tuesday as lawmakers rescinded and re-amended provisions of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, to accommodate the electronic transmission of election results without making real-time upload mandatory. The heated session followed the chamber's decision to revisit Clause 60(3), days after rejecting a proposal that sought to compel real-time transmission of results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing Portal IReV.
After hours of debate, senators adopted a revised Clause 60(3) mandating the electronic transmission of results only after Form EC8A has been signed and stamped at polling units. The amendment, however, stopped short of making real-time transmission compulsory, retaining manual results as a fallback where technology fails.
The re-amended clause states: “Results shall be transmitted electronically from each polling unit to the IReV after the prescribed Form EC8A has been signed and stamped by the presiding officer and party agents who are available at the polling unit. Provided that where the electronic transmission of results fails as a result of communication failure, the result contained in Form EC8A, signed by the presiding officer and/or countersigned by polling agents shall, in such a case, be the primary source for collation and declaration of results.”
The fresh controversy began when Senate President Godswill Akpabio took up the Votes and Proceedings of the previous sitting. Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno raised a point of order under Orders 1(b) and 52(6), seeking to rescind the earlier rejection of electronic transmission, citing public backlash and the need to reflect Nigerians’ expectations in the law.
“This amendment is to bring our laws in line with the wishes and aspirations of the people,” Monguno said, adding, “Upon careful examination of the bill, fresh issues have emerged in respect of Clause 60(3), requiring further legislative consideration for smooth and transparent elections.” The motion was seconded by Senator Abdul Ningi and supported by Minority Leader Abba Moro, who stressed that electoral laws must undergo the highest scrutiny due to their impact on democracy and political stability.
Tensions escalated when Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe invoked Order 72, arguing that the Senate could not revisit the clause in the proposed manner and calling for a division to allow individual voting. His intervention sparked loud exchanges, with senators challenging both the procedure and the precedent being set. For about 10 minutes, proceedings stalled as Akpabio repeatedly called for order.
When calm returned, Akpabio asked Abaribe whether he intended to proceed formally with his point of order. The Abia senator eventually withdrew his motion, amid the numerical dominance of the ruling APC, which holds 80 seats compared to the PDP’s 21 and a handful of seats shared by other parties.
At the close of plenary, the Senate adopted the amended Votes and Proceedings and constituted a 12-member conference committee to harmonise its version of the bill with that of the House of Representatives. Akpabio urged swift action, saying,
“This is a matter of urgency. If you conclude within one week, the President should be able to sign the bill into law within the month.” Senator Simon Lalong was named chairman of the committee.
The Senate had earlier rejected mandatory real-time transmission, opting to retain provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act that empower INEC to determine the mode of transmission.
The decision triggered protests from civil society groups and opposition figures, who argued that removing “real time” weakens transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections. While Senate leaders insist electronic transmission was not rejected outright, critics maintain that the absence of a real-time requirement leaves room for manipulation.
Outside the National Assembly, protests intensified. Former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi joined demonstrators with his first son, a medical doctor.
“There are those who say we, the politicians, want protest but our children are overseas. But here is my first son. He is a medical doctor; I brought him here and his job is that if there is injury, he should treat people,” Amaechi said. He added: “I believe the opposition parties should come out, PDP, ADC, everybody should be out, to protest against the attempt at one party.
If we come out, and they say the opposition has hijacked the protest, what is APC doing? Are they not hijacking? What are they afraid of?” Meanwhile, the Arewa Consultative Forum warned against alleged post-passage alterations, stating, “We have great concern with the emerging circumstances where allegations arise about the content of bills from the National Assembly,” and cautioning that “the emerging tendency to tinker with the laws must be resisted, no matter the motivation of any interests.”
The African Democratic Congress described the Senate’s reversal as “a significant victory for the Nigerian people,” declaring: “From street protests to digital campaigns, the Nigerian people have once again shown that sovereignty truly belongs to them.”
