The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday approved the electronic transmission of election results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s portal.
However, it stopped short of making the process compulsory and explicitly rejected a provision for real-time uploads, maintaining a significant role for manual collation.
The decision, reached during an emergency plenary, settled a contentious clause in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The reviewed legislation mandates presiding officers to electronically transmit results from polling units to the IReV portal after voting is completed and the result sheets (Form EC8A) are signed.
The amendment introduces a critical condition: in the event of network failure or any communication challenge, the manually completed Form EC8A becomes the primary document for collation and declaration of results.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, reading the amended clause, stated, “Provided that if the electronic transmission of the results fails… the Form EC8A shall in such a case be the primary source of collation and declaration of results.”
Mixed Reactions and Concerns
The move has immediately drawn criticism from civil society organisations and opposition figures. Critics argue that the heavy reliance on manual results in areas with poor network coverage—a common issue in many parts of Nigeria—could undermine transparency and create avenues for result manipulation, effectively weakening the promise of the new electronic system.
The Senate’s position clarifies its intent to adopt technology while providing a fallback it deems necessary, setting the stage for continued debate on the integrity of the nation’s electoral process as the 2027 general elections approach.
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