The Nigerian Senate has amended its votes and proceedings from last week’s plenary (Wednesday, February 4, 2026) to clarify its position on the transmission of election results under Section 60(3) of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill.
In a motion moved by the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North) and endorsed by the upper chamber, the Senate resolved to adopt electronic transmission of results from polling units as the primary method.
However, the resolution provides a fallback: “In the event of a communication glitch or failure of electronic delivery, the Form EC8A, duly entered, stamped, and signed by the presiding officer and counter-signed by party agents, shall serve as the primary source of collation.”
The decision effectively retains a hybrid system electronic transmission remains mandatory where network is available, but manual collation using physical Form EC8A is permitted when electronic means fail.
After the motion was adopted, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP, Abia South) raised a counter-motion calling for a division (individual roll-call vote) on the provision. However, he withdrew the request after Senate President Godswill Akpabio urged him to proceed, allowing the amended resolution to stand.
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The hybrid clause addresses concerns from lawmakers and INEC about network failures in remote or rural polling units meanwhile Critics (including civil society groups and protesters at the National Assembly gates) argue the fallback provision could create loopholes for manual manipulation at collation centres the exact problem electronic transmission was meant to solve and Pro-electronic transmission advocates have described the amendment as a “dilution” of the original intent of the bill.
The Senate’s position will now go to the conference committee (already set up by both chambers) for harmonization with the House of Representatives version, which is still undergoing committee review.
Protesters’ Response The ongoing sit-in protest at the National Assembly gate (with protesters sleeping on mattresses) intensified following the Senate resolution. Demonstrators chanted “No Dilution, No Retreat” and vowed to remain until mandatory electronic transmission without fallback clauses is guaranteed.
By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi
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