The Senate has endorsed the electronic transmission of election results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV), while also allowing manual collation to serve as an alternative in cases where technology fails.
The resolution was reached during an emergency plenary session on Tuesday, following a fresh review of a controversial clause in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill. However, lawmakers declined to make electronic transmission mandatory and also rejected the proposal for real-time upload of results.
Under the revised provision, presiding officers at polling units are required to electronically upload election results to the IReV portal after voting and necessary documentation have been completed. The amendment further states that where electronic transmission is hindered by network or communication challenges, the physical result sheet, Form EC8A, will be used as the primary document for collation and declaration.
While calling for a voice vote, Senate President Godswill Akpabio urged senators who opposed the amendment to formally move a counter motion.
“It’s very simple. If you disagree with him, move your counter motion. So, if you agree with him, you agree with me when I put the votes,” Akpabio said.
He explained that the motion aimed to reverse an earlier decision taken by the Senate on Section 60, Subsection 3 of the Electoral Act.
“When I ask for the votes, when I ask for your consent, let me read the motion. His earlier motion, which passed in our last sitting, he has sought to rescind that. That is in respect of Section 60, Subsection 3. And this is what he said,” he stated.
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Reading out the amended clause, Akpabio said, “That the presiding officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the IReV portal. 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, where available at the polling units, because sometimes you don’t see any polling agent.”
He further clarified that the law accommodates situations where electronic transmission is not feasible.
“Provided that if the electronic transmission of the results fails as a result of communication failure — in other words, maybe network or otherwise — and it becomes impossible to transmit the results electronically in Form EC8A signed and stamped by the presiding officer and/or countersigned by the candidates or polling agents where available at the polling units, the Form EC8A shall in such a case be the primary source of collation and declaration of results,” Akpabio added.
The amendment has drawn criticism from civil society groups and opposition leaders, who warn that permitting manual results to take precedence over electronic uploads could undermine transparency and open the door to manipulation, particularly in regions with weak network connectivity.