Published on February 4, 2026
By Amarachi Johnson
The Nigerian Senate has rejected a proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3 of the Electoral Amendment Bill that sought to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory.
The amendment would have required presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to electronically transmit results 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.
Instead, the Senate adopted the existing provision of the Electoral Act, 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 rejected provision specifically mandated real-time electronic transmission of polling unit results to the IREV portal, a move widely supported by civil society organisations and election observers who have consistently advocated for greater transparency and credibility in Nigeria’s electoral process.
NATIONAL POST reports that the Senate’s decision has been received with shock and disappointment by many Nigerians, particularly civil society groups who had hoped the amendment would strengthen public confidence in elections and reduce disputes arising from result collation and transmission.