The Senate has approved the electronic transmission of election results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV), while retaining manual collation as a fallback where technology fails.
The decision followed a reconsideration of a contentious clause in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill during Tuesday’s plenary session.
The amendment was introduced through a motion sponsored by Tahir Monguno, senator representing Borno North, who said further scrutiny of Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill 2026 showed the need for changes to avoid disputes and operational setbacks during elections.
Under the revised provision, presiding officers at polling units are permitted to transmit results electronically to the IReV portal after Form EC8A has been completed, signed and stamped.
However, the amendment does not make electronic transmission mandatory and does not provide for real-time uploading of results.
The Senate also approved that where electronic transmission is disrupted by network or communication challenges, the manually completed EC8A form will serve as the primary basis for result collation and declaration.
Seconding the motion, Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro said Nigeria’s electoral laws must strike a balance between transparency and the country’s infrastructural limitations.
After brief deliberations, Senate President Godswill Akpabio put the amendment to a voice vote, which was carried by a majority of lawmakers.
