By Obinna Uballa
The Senate on Tuesday approved the electronic transmission of election results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV), while permitting manual collation to serve as a backup where technological challenges arise.
The decision followed a reconsideration of a contentious provision in the Electoral Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2026, during plenary.
The amendment was moved by Senator Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North), who said further review of Clause 60(3) revealed the need for adjustments to reduce the risk of disputes and operational setbacks during elections.
Monguno proposed that presiding officers at polling units be allowed to transmit results electronically to the IReV portal after Form EC8A has been duly completed, signed and stamped.
However, the revised provision stops short of making electronic transmission mandatory and does not require real-time uploading of results.
Under the amendment, where electronic transmission is hindered by network or communication issues, the manually completed EC8A form will serve as the primary basis for collation and declaration of results.
The motion was seconded by Senator Abba Moro, the Senate Minority Leader, who argued that electoral legislation must balance transparency goals with the country’s infrastructural limitations.
After brief deliberations, Senate President Godswill Akpabio put the amendment to a voice vote, with the majority supporting the proposal.
