What we passed, and which the Senate President himself said during a clarification, is electronic transmission of results,” Abaribe added.
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – Some senators on Thursday dismissed reports that it rejected electronic transmission of election results, insisting that the provision remains intact in the 2026 Electoral Bill and will be monitored until transmission to the President for assent.
The clarification followed public backlash over reports that the Senate struck out Section 60(3) of the bill, which mandates the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit polling unit results electronically in real time.
Section 60(3) states: “The Presiding Officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to IREV portal in real time 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 available at the polling unit.”
Confusion arose on Wednesday during clause-by-clause consideration of the bill when Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced that Clause 60 was adopted “as amended and not as recommended,” prompting reports that the provision had been rejected.
However, 24 hours later, thirteen senators across party lines, led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP, Abia South), briefed journalists to correct what they described as a wrong impression.
Abaribe said the Senate did not reject electronic transmission of results and assured Nigerians that lawmakers would ensure the provision remains in the final bill sent to the President.
“To put the record straight, yesterday (Wednesday), the Senate did not, I repeat, did not pass transfer of results which was in the 2022 Act,” he said.
“What we passed, and which the Senate President himself said during a clarification, is electronic transmission of results,” Abaribe added.
He further assured that senators were united on the provision. “I can assure you on my own, and on all of us standing here, that the Electoral Committee of the Senate, the Ad Hoc Committee, and the Senate in Executive Session all agreed on Section 60(3), which is electronic transmission of votes or electronic transmission of results,” he said.
Also speaking, Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) described reports of a rejection as “very painful,” stressing that the Senate has remained consistent on the issue.
“Our coming here today is to assure Nigerians that the Senate at no time since September last year, when the process for a new Electoral Act for the 2027 general election started, jettisoned the need for legal provision for electronic transmission of election results by INEC,” Ningi said.
He added: “This negative trajectory against the Senate and the National Assembly should stop. We shall ensure that Section 60(3) of the 2026 Electoral Bill follows what will be transmitted to the President for assent.”
Other senators at the briefing were Austin Akobundu (PDP, Abia Central), Peter Jiya (PDP, Niger South), Ireti Kingibe (ADC, FCT), Victor Umeh (LP, Anambra Central), Binos Yaroe (PDP, Adamawa South), Kabeeb Mustapha (PDP, Jigawa South West), Khalid Mustapha (PDP, Kaduna North), Mohammed Ogoshi Onawo (APC, Nasarawa South), Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (PDP, Sokoto South), Tony Nwoye (LP, Anambra North) and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central).