The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday approved the electronic transmission of election results from polling units, marking a major reversal of its earlier position on the issue.
The decision followed the amendment of Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act after a motion was moved by the Senate Chief Whip, Mohammed Monguno, urging the chamber to rescind its previous rejection of real-time electronic transmission of results.
Last Wednesday, the Senate had retained provisions of the extant Electoral Act 2023, which effectively restricted the use of electronic transmission. However, with the new amendment, lawmakers endorsed a framework that allows electronic transmission while retaining manual documentation as a safeguard.
Under the amended clause, the presiding officer at each polling unit is permitted to electronically transmit election results after Form EC8A has been duly completed and signed.
According to Arise News, the provision allows electronic transmission “where the technology does not fail and is possible to use.” In situations where electronic transmission fails or becomes impossible, the manually completed Form EC8A will serve as the primary reference for result collation and declaration.
However, the retention of Form EC8A as a fallback option has already raised concerns among stakeholders, with critics warning that the provision could create a potential loophole that may be exploited to jettison electronic transmission under questionable circumstances.
While reading the amended provision on the floor of the Senate, Senate President Godswill Akpabio stated:
“The presiding officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the IREV portal after Form EC8A has been signed and stamped by the presiding officer, and/or countersigned by the candidates or polling agents where available at the polling units.
“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.”
The Senate’s new position has been met with mixed reactions, as opinions remain sharply divided over the discrepancies and potential implications of the amended provision within the bill, particularly the balance between technological transparency and manual safeguards.
