The Senate on Tuesday reversed its earlier rejection of electronic transmission of election results, bowing to days of public protests and criticism. But the concession has done little to calm public anger.
Under the revised amendment to the Electoral Act, election results may be transmitted electronically from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s result portal, IReV — but only where network connectivity permits. Where it does not, the Senate says results may be collated manually using paper forms.
The caveat has angered Nigerians, many of whom have held protests at the National Assembly in Abuja since Monday.
Protesters, civil society groups and opposition figures argue that allowing manual collation as a fallback creates a loophole wide enough to repeat the failures of the 2023 general elections, when electronic uploads stalled without explanation and disputed manual results ultimately determined the outcome.
“The Nigerian Senate has insulted the sensibilities of Nigerians!” said Aisha Yesufu, activist and member of the new opposition coaltion, African Democratic Congress (ADC), who took part in the demonstrations. “They have shown they are not deserving of the trust Nigerians have given them to represent the people!”
A reversal under pressure
The Senate’s decision came during an emergency plenary session, following two days of demonstrations at the gates of the National Assembly and mounting criticism on social media.
The amendment was introduced by Tahir Monguno, the Senate chief whip, who acknowledged that the chamber’s earlier decision — which had effectively removed any provision for electronic transmission — had triggered widespread backlash.
“This amendment is to ensure that our laws reflect the wishes and aspirations of Nigerians,” Mr. Monguno told lawmakers, adding that fresh issues had emerged during public debate over Clause 60(3) of the bill, according to Premium Times.
The revised clause permits presiding officers to transmit results electronically to IReV after completing and signing Form EC8A. But it stops short of making electronic transmission mandatory or the only option.
Where electronic transmission fails due to network or communication challenges, the manually completed EC8A form becomes the “primary basis” for collation and declaration of results.
The motion was seconded by Abba Moro, the Senate minority leader, and passed by a voice vote presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
‘A legal cover for failure’
Almost immediately, critics warned that the Senate’s wording risks entrenching the very weaknesses it claims to address.
Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election was marred by a prolonged failure to upload results from polling units to IReV. INEC attributed the breakdown to technical issues, but proceeded to declare a winner based largely on manually collated figures — many of which were inconsistent with available polling-unit data.
“If INEC wakes up tomorrow and says there was a network glitch, manual collation is now legal everywhere — and the courts will support it,” wrote Omotayo Williams, a citizen, on X. “They have made it legal to tolerate failure.”
Obiageli Ezekwesili, a former education minister and longtime transparency advocate, described the amendment as “an insult on the collective intelligence of Nigerians,” warning that the clause could serve as “their loophole to rig the 2027 elections.”
Journalist Fisayo Soyombo was more blunt: “Manual collation has to be erased. First choice must be electronic, and backup must be electronic. Anything else is a scam.”
Mr. Akpabio has defended the Senate’s position, arguing that mandating real-time electronic transmission nationwide could expose elections to legal challenges if connectivity fails in remote areas.
Nigeria’s vast geography and uneven telecommunications infrastructure have long been cited as obstacles to full digitalisation of elections. But critics say that claim is insincere and overstated as banking and other commercial services can be carried out in almost every part of the country.
Since last Thursday, debate over the Electoral Act amendment has eclipsed other changes in the bill, including revisions to voter registration and result handling procedures.
Some senators in the minority caucus initially argued that electronic transmission had never been removed, blaming confusion on procedural exchanges during clause-by-clause consideration. But Mr. Akpabio later acknowledged at a public event that lawmakers had deliberately removed the requirement for mandatory real-time transmission.
Protests continue, tensions build
Protests outside the National Assembly have drawn a broad coalition of Nigerians, including youth groups, civil society organisations and opposition figures.
Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi joined demonstrators on Monday, while former transport minister Rotimi Amaechi, activist Omoyele Sowore and others took part on Tuesday.
At the heart of the protest is a simple demand: that electronic transmission of polling-unit results be mandatory, real-time and without manual fallback.
The House of Representatives has already passed a version of the bill that explicitly requires real-time electronic transmission. The Senate’s decision has now shifted attention to the harmonisation committee, which must reconcile differences between both chambers’ versions.
Mr. Akpabio on Tuesday reconstituted that committee, reappointing Simon Lalong as chair, alongside members from both the ruling and opposition parties.
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