The Senate on Wednesday passed the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill after a marathon five-hour clause-by-clause consideration, with lawmakers rejecting the provision for real-time transmission of election results.
The bill, which was the only item listed on the order paper after a valedictory session in honour of the late Senator Okey Ezea, was adopted by the Committee of the Whole after all 155 clauses were considered.
While most of the provisions were retained as proposed, senators made notable amendments to some sections. One of the key changes reduced the period within which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must publish a notice of election from 360 days to 180 days.
On the contentious issue of results transmission, the Senate declined to adopt real-time transmission of election results. Instead, it retained the existing provision for electronic transmission of results, as provided for in the 2002 Electoral Act and applied during the 2022 general elections.
Following the passage, Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced that a joint harmonisation committee comprising members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives would reconcile differences in the bill before it is forwarded to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assent.
The harmonisation team from the Senate will be led by the Chairman of the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Niyi Adegbonmire. Other members include Senators Tahir Monguno, Adamu Aliero, Orji Kalu, Abba Moro, Asuquo Ekpeyong, Aminu Abass, Tokunbo Abiru and Simon Lalong.
Addressing claims circulating on social media that the Senate had rejected electronic transmission of results entirely, Akpabio dismissed the reports as misleading.
“Social media is already awash with reports that the Senate has literally rejected electronic transmission of results. That is not true,” Akpabio said. “What we did was to retain the electronic transmission which has been in the Act and was used in 2022.”
He stressed that the Senate only rejected real-time transmission, not electronic transmission in general.
“This Senate under my watch has not rejected electronic transmission of results. It is in my interest, as a participant in the next election, for such to be done,” he added.
Akpabio concluded by stating that the amendment preserves existing electoral safeguards and prevents regression in the country’s electoral process.
“We have retained what was in the previous provision. The law already allows electronic transmission, and that remains. We cannot afford to go backwards,” he said.
