The Senate has amended the Electoral Act, modifying Clause 60 to mandate presiding officer at every polling unit to electronically transmit election results to the IREV portal. 

However, the amendment noted that if electronic transmission failed due to network communication issues, manual result sheets (Form EC8A) would be for election results collation.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio confirmed the amendment at the floor of the red chamber during an emergency session on Tuesday.

Debate on real-time electronic transmission of election results topped deliberations at the Senate’s Tuesday emergency plenary at the National Assembly complex.

The session commenced at about 2:20 p.m when Senate President Godswill Akpabio and other principal officers entered into the chamber.

About 10 minutes after the session commenced, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno moved a motion to reverse the Nigerian Senate’s earlier rejection of a clause mandating electronic transmission of election results.

Following Mr Monguno’s submission, Senator Eyinnanya Abaribe moved a motion requesting the Senators vote individually on the clause.

However, following brief reconsideration, Mr Abaribe withdrew his motion that earlier called for senators to cast individual votes on the clause demanding mandatory electronic transmission of election results. Majority of the senators voted in favour of mandatory electronic transmission of election results.

Several interest groups and individuals have been protesting at the National Assembly since last Friday against the earlier rejection of e-transmission of election results by the Senate. Former presidential candidates Peter Obi and Omoyele Sowore, ex-Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and activist Aisha Yesufu, were some of those who  joined the protests.

Earlier, Mr Akpabio restated the amendment of Mr Monguno’s motion from ‘transfer’ to ‘transmit,’ noting that “He (Monguno) came to me and mentioned the fact that he would like to propose a motion to ensure that he changes that word.”

He noted that he then put the amendment to a vote, saying, “His earlier motion which passed in our last sitting, he has sought to rescind that, that is in respect of Section 60(3), and this is what he is proposing.

“He is proposing that the presiding officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the IReV portal and such transmission shall be done after the prescribed 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, because sometimes you don’t see any polling agent.

“Provided that if the electronic transmission of the results fails as a result of communication failure — in other words, maybe network or otherwise — and it becomes impossible to transmit the results electronically in Form EC8A signed and stamped by the presiding officer and or countersigned by the candidates or polling agents where available at the polling units, the Form EC8A shall in such a case be the primary source of collation and declaration of results.”

The majority of the senators voted in favour of the amendment, and thebill was thus passed.