Abuja – The Nigerian Senate has voted against a proposed amendment that would have made the electronic transmission of election results compulsory. The development marks a significant decision in the ongoing review of the Electoral Amendment Bill.
The rejected provision sought to mandate presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to upload results from each polling unit to the IREV portal in real time.
According to the proposal, results would have been transmitted immediately after completing Form EC&A, which is required to be signed and stamped by the presiding officer and countersigned by party agents.
However, Senators opted to retain the current Electoral Act provision, which instructs 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.” This effectively preserves INEC’s existing framework for result transmission.
The decision comes amid ongoing debates over electoral transparency and the role of technology in ensuring credible elections. Proponents of the amendment had argued that electronic transmission would reduce human error, improve the speed of result collation, and curb possible manipulation. Critics, however, raised concerns about technological failures, cybersecurity risks, and logistical challenges across polling units nationwide.
Channels Television reports that lawmakers are yet to announce if further revisions will be made to other clauses of the Electoral Amendment Bill. INEC officials have not commented on how the decision may affect preparations for upcoming elections.
Details on the implications of the Senate’s decision are expected to emerge in the coming days as the legislative process continues.
