BREAKING: Senate rejects electronic transmission of results

The Senate, on Wednesday, rejected a proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the Electoral Amendment Bill 2026 that sought to make the electronic transmission of election results from polling units compulsory.

The proposed amendment required presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit results electronically from each polling unit to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal in real time, after the prescribed Form EC8A had been signed and stamped by the presiding officer and countersigned by party agents.

The Senate adopted the existing provision of the Electoral Act, 2022 which states that “the presiding officer shall transfer the results, including the total number of accredited voters and the results of the ballot, in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.”

The rejection followed an amendment made by Senator Tahir Monguno (Borno, APC) who proposed that transmission aspect be removed while the original provision be retained.

Details later…