The Senate was thin on calm Thursday as a coalition of opposition lawmakers moved to debunk reports that the upper legislative chamber had rejected the electronic transmission of election results in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act.
Briefing newsmen at the National Assembly, the lawmakers, drawn from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), insisted that the Senate remains committed to Section 60(3) of the 2026 Electoral Bill, which mandates the electronic transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV).
‘A Painful Misrepresentation’
The briefing, led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South), was a direct response to media reports on Wednesday suggesting that the Senate had voted to retain the manual transfer of results—a move critics say would be a setback for Nigeria’s democratic transparency.
“To put the record straight, the Senate did not—I repeat, did not—pass manual transfer of results,” Abaribe declared. “What we passed, and which the Senate President himself clarified while sitting in his chair, is the electronic transmission of results.”
Abaribe attributed the public confusion to a “mix-up” in how Senate President Godswill Akpabio relayed the decisions of the chamber during the high-stakes clause-by-clause consideration of the bill.
Vow to Protect the Bill
The opposition bloc expressed concerns that any ambiguity in the legislative record could be exploited. Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) described the reports of a rejection as “very painful,” asserting that the Senate has, since September 2023, consistently prioritized legal provisions for electronic transmission.
“This negative trajectory against the Senate and the National Assembly must stop,” Ningi said. “We shall ensure that Section 60(3) of the 2026 Electoral Bill follows what will be transmitted to the President for assent. We have agreed on this in the Electoral Committee, the Ad Hoc Committee, and during our Executive Session.”
The lawmakers vowed to act as watchdogs over the document’s journey from the National Assembly to the Presidential Villa. Senator Abaribe assured Nigerians that the opposition would monitor the bill “to the point of transmission” to ensure the agreed-upon electronic provisions are not tampered with before receiving presidential assent.
The united front of opposition senators present at the briefing included:
PDP Austin Akobundu (Abia Central), Peter Jiya (Niger South), Binos Yaroe (Adamawa South), Kabeeb Mustapha (Jigawa South West), Khalid Mustapha (Kaduna North), Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto South), and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central), Labour Party Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) and Tony Nwoye (Anambra North).ADC Ireti Kingibe (FCT),APC: Mohammed Ogoshi Onawo (Nasarawa South).
The 2026 Electoral Bill is seen as a critical precursor to the 2027 general elections, with the electronic transmission of results remaining the most contentious and highly anticipated provision for voters and civil society organizations
