With the 2027 general elections approaching, the Senate’s conditional approval of electronic transmission is shifting pressure to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), raising fresh questions about infrastructure, preparedness and the credibility of future polls.

After much prevarication, the Senate yesterday adopted an amendment mandating the electronic transmission of election results from polling units to INEC’s IReV portal, subject to the availability of telecommunication networks.
The development followed public outcry that greeted reports that the upper legislative chamber rejected real-time transmission of results during the passage of the proposed Electoral Bill 2026 last week.
However, amending its stance through a motion moved by the Chief Whip, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno (Borno North), and seconded by the Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro (PDP), the Senate replaced Section 60(3) of the Electoral Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill.

Under the amendment, presiding officers are required to transmit results electronically after signing and stamping the result forms, which must also be countersigned by polling agents where present.
The Senate’s caveat has unwittingly placed the burden of providing a clear pathway to a credible electoral process squarely at the doorstep of the electoral umpire, whose regulations were previously dismissed by the apex court for not being binding in law.

Although the electoral commission is yet to react to the latest position of the federal lawmakers, its chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, urged Nigerians to desist from unnecessary anxiety over the rejection of electronic transmission of polling unit results in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act.

Speaking while monitoring a mock accreditation exercise conducted ahead of the February 21 Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Amupitan said the controversy surrounding the Senate’s decision on electronic transmission was premature.
He explained that since the amendment process requires harmonisation between both chambers of the National Assembly before a final position can emerge, the situation should not create anxiety among citizens, stressing that INEC remains committed to deploying technology to enhance the credibility of elections.
Amupitan said the mock accreditation exercise was aimed at testing the commission’s operational readiness and the technical efficiency of the upgraded Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which he described as a “game changer” for electoral integrity.

He noted: “The commission is determined to address any technical issues ahead of the actual polls. We don’t want to use the main election as a guinea pig. This exercise is basically to test operational preparedness, and our major focus is the functionality of the BVAS, which for us is a game changer.”
The INEC boss disclosed that accreditation during the simulation took about five seconds per voter, while the device successfully blocked a repeat accreditation attempt, demonstrating its effectiveness in preventing double voting.

“With this technology, there is no way you can be accredited twice. There’s no way you can vote twice,” he added.

Addressing concerns about possible network challenges in rural communities, Amupitan said the commission had strengthened its operational protocols, including provisions for presiding officers to use personal hotspots where necessary.

“The system,” he noted, “is designed to automatically upload results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal once a signal is detected.”

While expressing satisfaction with the technical outcome of the exercise, the chairman lamented the low turnout of participants during the mock accreditation and urged political parties to intensify voter mobilisation.

“It is part of the responsibility of INEC to do civic education, but it is not the responsibility of INEC to go and campaign to people. That is the responsibility of political parties,” he declared.
Senate review

In the amended clause, the Senate provides for the use of Form EC8A as the primary source for collation and declaration where the electronic transmission system fails, effectively limiting the real-time nature of result reporting. Observers note that while this arrangement addresses operational realities such as network failure, it partially undermines the objective of instant transmission.

“Electronic transmission ensures speed, accuracy and accountability in reporting election results,” Monguno said. “This is a practical approach that balances innovation with operational realities on the ground.”

Monguno explained that the amendment also seeks to resolve previous controversies over the wording of the law, particularly whether results should be “transferred” or “transmitted”. He stressed that legislative clarity is critical to preventing ambiguities that could compromise the credibility of elections.

“Fresh issues emerged from a closer scrutiny of the bill following its earlier passage,” Monguno said. “The provision required further legislative work to strengthen transparency and public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process rather than weaken it.”

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, while presiding over the plenary, emphasised that the amendment is aimed at modernising the electoral system and ensuring accountability. He clarified that although electronic transmission is now mandated, Form EC8A will remain the official source in cases where technology fails, underscoring a cautious and pragmatic approach to innovation.

Although some observers described the amendment as a positive step towards modernising the country’s electoral system, they cautioned that its success would largely depend on the reliability of network infrastructure and adequate training for electoral officers nationwide.

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South) raised a point of order, arguing that the Senate could not revisit the clause in the manner proposed without allowing individual votes. He called for a division but later withdrew the motion after being recognised by the presiding officer, Akpabio.
The intervention sparked a rowdy session, with several senators speaking simultaneously and challenging the procedure being adopted. The chamber became tense for about ten minutes as the leadership struggled to restore order.

Akpabio repeatedly called for calm and urged lawmakers to respect parliamentary procedure before eventually guiding the plenary back on track.
The motion to rescind was ultimately upheld, paving the way for the amendment on electronic transmission to proceed. Analysts say the incident underscores the sensitivities surrounding electoral legislation in Nigeria and the high stakes involved in overseeing voting processes.