The Senate has approved the electronic transmission of election results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV), while also retaining manual collation as a fallback option in cases where technology fails.
The decision was reached on Tuesday during plenary, following a fresh review of a contentious clause in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026.
The amendment was moved by Tahir Monguno, the senator representing Borno North, who explained that further examination of Clause 60(3) revealed the need for adjustments to avoid disputes and operational challenges during elections.
Under the revised provision, presiding officers at polling units are permitted to transmit results electronically to the IReV portal after Form EC8A has been properly completed, signed, and stamped.
However, the amendment does not make electronic transmission compulsory and does not allow for real-time uploading of results.
Where electronic transmission is affected by network or communication issues, the manually completed EC8A form will serve as the primary document for result collation and declaration.
Abba Moro, the Senate Minority Leader, seconded the motion, noting that Nigeria’s electoral laws must strike a balance between transparency and the country’s existing infrastructural limitations.
After brief deliberations, Senate President Godswill Akpabio put the amendment to a voice vote, with the “ayes” carrying the day.
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