The Senate on Tuesday adopted a dual-mode system for transmitting election results, allowing both electronic and manual methods. This follows weeks of public protests over attempts to restrict electronic transmission in the amended Electoral Act.
During the emergency plenary, lawmakers revised Clause 60 to require presiding officers to electronically transmit results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal from each polling unit. However, if electronic transmission fails due to network issues, the manual result sheet (Form EC8A) will serve as the primary source for collation.
Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North), raised a point of order that the Senate should rescind its earlier decision on Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act amendment bill. He went on to read out Clause 60( 3) without “real-time” in his motion.
According to page 45 of the report of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Clause 60( 3), the provision states: “The Presiding Officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to IREV portal in real time and such transmission shall be done after the prescribed Form EC8A has been signed and stamped by the Presiding Officer and/or countersigned by the candidates or polling agents available at the polling unit.”
The decision comes after sustained demonstrations at the National Assembly, where citizens and civil society groups demanded mandatory real-time electronic transmission to curb electoral fraud and restore public confidence.
The Senate’s move represents a compromise aimed at addressing technical concerns while preserving the integrity and transparency of Nigeria’s electoral process.
