Olushola Omogbehin
The Senate has finally passed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill but rejected electronic transmission of results, which is the most critical aspect of the bill for free and fair elections in 2027.
The bill which was approved on Wednesday after lawmakers ended a clause-by-clause consideration in the Committee of the Whole, to ensure detailed scrutiny of each provision before final passage.
The Senate however declined to make electronic transmission of election results from each polling unit to the IReV portal in real time, after the prescribed Form EC8A had been signed and stamped.
Rather, the Senate approve the existing provision of the Electoral Act, which states that “the presiding officer shall transfer the results, including the total number of accredited voters and the results of the ballot, in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.”
The Senate by this action left the mode, timing and process of result transmission to the making of the Independent National Electoral Commission, rather than making it a function of law.
Addressing concerns that followed the vote, Senate President Godswill Akpabio dismissed claims that lawmakers had rejected electronic transmission outright.
Justifying the action of the Senate, Senator Akpabio said the Senate only declined to impose an additional mandatory requirement because electronic transmission already exists under the current law and has been deployed in previous elections.
He said the Senate only preserves existing provisions that permit digital transmission of results, while avoiding rigid legal prescriptions that could restrict INEC’s operational flexibility, particularly in areas affected by poor network connectivity.
