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Following the approval of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill, 2026, 13 centrist opposition senators dismissed claims that the upper chamber had abandoned the requirement for electronic transmission of election results, causing a rift in the Senate on Thursday.

The Senate’s reported decision on Wednesday, which many Nigerians saw as a rejection of real-time electronic transmission of election results, sparked significant indignation.

However, the legislators, led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, maintained that the provision was still in place and that the Senate had not finished its discussions on the subject.

Speaking to reporters in Abuja, Abaribe, together with Senators Victor Umeh, Abdul Ningi, and ten others, declared their unwavering support for the bill’s proposed change to Clause 60, Subsection 3, which aims to require the electronic transmission of election results.

They pledged to keep an eye on the clause during the legislative process until it was delivered to the president for approval.

The MPs emphasized that the matter had not yet been resolved, claiming that more than two-thirds of the Senate favored real-time electronic transmission of election results.

“The Senate did not reject transmission in real time.”
In contrast to what has been reported in the media, Abaribe stated that the Senate did not reject the results’ electronic transmission.

To correct the record, the Senate did not, I repeat, pass the transfer of results that was part of the 2022 Act yesterday (Wednesday). Vanguard quoted the Senate President as saying, “Electronic transmission of results is what we passed and what he himself stated while doing a clarification, sitting on his chair.”

The MPs organized the meeting, Abaribe continued, to dispel myths and reassure Nigerians of their dedication to election openness.

“I can guarantee you that the Senate’s Electoral Committee and Ad Hoc Committee, as well as the Executive Session, all agreed on Section 60(3), which is electronic transmission of votes or electronic transmission of results,” he said.

The senators emphasized that the legislative process was still ongoing by pointing out that the Senate had not yet reconvened to approve the votes and plenary session proceedings.

Concerning Section 60(3) of the bill, which requires the Independent National Electoral Commission to send polling unit results electronically in real time, they also voiced concern about the backlash that followed Wednesday’s procedures.

As per the provision, “The Presiding Officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to IREV portal in real time, and such transmission shall be made 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.”

Akpabio Caused Controversy with His Announcement
Senate President Godswill Akpabio declared during the bill’s clause-by-clause review on Wednesday that Clause 60 was approved “as amended,” rather than as the committee had initially suggested. This announcement sparked numerous reports that suggested the real-time transmission clause had been rejected.

The opposition senators, however, insisted that discussions were still in progress and that the interpretation was incorrect.

“E-transmission was approved by joint committees.”
Abaribe added that a combined committee of the two houses’ electoral committees had spent a lot of time working on the amendment bill and had decided on electronic transmission.

Following multiple retreats, the combined committees came to the conclusion that electronic results transmission was the best course of action. He added, “And the House and Senate reports both reflected that.”

“And when we entered a secret session, we took into consideration the Senate ad hoc committee’s report in order to straighten it up. And we will pass it without any rancour when we return to plenary.

Political officials and civil society organizations reportedly responded to the incident.

Opposition parties, civil society organizations, former vice president Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential contender, and others condemned the reported rejection of mandatory electronic transmission, cautioning that it could damage electoral credibility.

Nonetheless, the senators told Nigerians that they would make sure the clause is upheld until the bill’s final draft is delivered to the president for approval.

Opposition Slams the Senate
Major opposition parties have criticized the Senate’s decision to reject the pending Electoral Act modification that would require real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling stations, stating that the action could damage the legitimacy of the general elections in 2027.

The parties also issued a warning that the ruling would erode public trust in Nigeria’s democratic system.

The opposition said in a joint statement released by Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party; Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress; and Bamofin Johnson, National Publicity Secretary of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, that the development caused significant national concern and forced them to address Nigerians collectively.

“A Retrogressive Act That Could Derail Democracy”
“As representatives of the main opposition political parties, we have been forced to work together to address this issue, which has the potential to undermine our hard-won democracy, due to the serious consequences of this retrogressive act by the Senate.”

The parties stated, “We don’t understand why a party that is currently using technology to conduct an electronic registration of its members nationwide is reluctant to use technology to transmit results.”

They said that the All Progressives Congress, which is in power and controls both chambers of the National Assembly, was attempting to maintain electoral system flaws that may be used in future elections.

They are aware that Nigerians have had enough of them. They know they would be rejected at the next polls. As a result, a free and fair election now poses a threat. For this reason, they must maintain and guard against any weaknesses that would enable them to manipulate the electoral process to their benefit.

But regardless of their party affiliation, we would have expected the senators to put democracy’s interests—for which the legislature continues to be its most significant symbol—above party loyalty. They said, “But as usual, they failed the people they are supposed to represent.”

Citing earlier court decisions, the parties pointed out that the Electoral Act of 2022 did not specifically require the electronic transmission of results.

They characterized the current amendment process as a chance to close the gap and improve election openness in the future.

The Senate has put Nigeria back at the beginning with its refusal. The conference committee now has the last say, and we implore its members to support the Nigerian people by endorsing the House of Representatives’ stance on the requirement for real-time electronic transmission of election results,” they said.

Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, denounced the move as well, seeing it as an effort to rig the election in advance of the 2027 polls.

Obi said that his response to “the outrageous and shameful news surrounding our electoral system” was postponed because to the over 150 deaths that occurred in Kwara on Wednesday.

According to the former governor of Anambra State, “the Senate’s flagrant rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results is an unforgivable act of electoral manipulation ahead of 2027.”

“This purposeful attack on Nigeria’s democracy is nothing less than the refusal to enact a clear safeguard. They are undermining the entire basis of legitimate elections by rejecting these crucial transparency requirements. One must consider whether the government’s purpose is to maintain justice and order or to institutionalize anarchy. Does it exist to serve the public interest or to further the evil goals of a chosen few?

Obi continued, “The failure to fully implement electronic transmission of results was linked to the controversies and disputes that trailed previous elections, especially the general election in 2023.”

“The failure to completely deploy electronic transmission was a direct cause of the chaos, disagreements, and manipulations that beset previous elections, particularly the general election in 2023. Nigerians were sold justifications based on a false “glitch” that never existed. Nigeria, the purported behemoth of Africa, blatantly falls behind and pushes the continent backward as many African countries embrace electronic transmission to support democracy.

“The leaders and elite are the true problem, and we are spending time organizing conferences and writing papers about Nigeria’s issues. Our willful opposition to change is causing the nation to regress and move closer to a less developed form of government.

“We are creating chaos with the intention of sustaining confusion in accordance with the whims of a small clique by refusing mandatory electronic transmission, a crucial safety measure for democratic integrity. Hasn’t the time come for us to take our nation’s and our children’s futures seriously?