The Senate on Wednesday rejected a proposed amendment to the Electoral Amendment Bill 2026 that would have made the electronic transmission of election results from polling units compulsory.
The amendment sought to change Clause 60, Subsection 3, requiring presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit results electronically from each polling unit to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal in real time, after Form EC8A had been signed, stamped and countersigned by party agents.
Instead, lawmakers adopted the existing provision in the Electoral Act 2022, which states that “the presiding officer shall transfer the results, including the total number of accredited voters and the results of the ballot, in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.”
The decision followed a motion by Senator Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno), who proposed removing the electronic transmission requirement and retaining the original wording of the law.
Further details are expected later.
