In a major turnaround, the Nigerian Senate on Tuesday amended Section 60 of the Electoral Act, approving real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units to INEC’s Results Viewing Portal (IREV).
The decision was taken during an emergency plenary session, where Senate President Godswill Akpabio explained how the amended process will work.
What the Amendment Says
According to Akpabio, results will now be uploaded electronically after the polling unit form has been completed and authenticated.
“The presiding officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the IREV portal after Form EC8A has been signed and stamped… and/or countersigned by the candidates or polling agents where available,” Akpabio said.
Manual Form Still Applies If Network Fails
Akpabio also clarified that in situations where there is a communication/network problem, the manually signed result sheet remains valid.
“Provided that if the electronic transmission of the results fails as a result of communication failure, the manually signed and stamped Form EC8A shall be the primary source of collation and declaration of results,” he added.
Why This Happened
The amendment, approved as Clause 60(3), followed a motion by Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Monguno, who pushed for the Senate to reverse its earlier stance.
This comes after intense public pressure and protests, including the “Occupy National Assembly” demonstration.
Debate in the Senate
The passage sparked heated arguments, as Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe initially demanded a division (formal voting), but later withdrew the request.
✅ Bottom line: The Senate has now officially backed electronic transmission of election results, with a manual backup option where network fails.
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