The Senate has approved the electronic transmission of election results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV), while retaining manual collation as a backup option where technological challenges arise.
The decision was reached during Tuesday’s plenary after lawmakers revisited a controversial provision of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill. The amendment clarifies that while results may be uploaded electronically, real-time transmission will not be mandatory.
The proposal was introduced by Tahir Monguno, senator representing Borno North, who explained that further examination of Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill 2026 showed the need for adjustments to reduce disputes and avoid operational setbacks during elections.
Under the revised provision, presiding officers at polling units are permitted to electronically transmit results to the IReV portal after Form EC8A has been properly completed, signed, and stamped. However, the law does not compel electronic transmission and explicitly allows manual processes where electronic upload is hindered by network or communication failures.
In such cases, the manually completed EC8A form will serve as the primary document for the collation and declaration of results.
The motion was seconded by Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro, who argued that electoral legislation must strike a balance between transparency and the infrastructural realities across different parts of the country.
After brief deliberations, Senate President Godswill Akpabio put the amendment to a voice vote, which was overwhelmingly supported by lawmakers present.
