690
By Lizzy Chirkpi
The Senate has rejected a proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the Electoral Amendment Bill that sought to make the electronic transmission of election results compulsory across all polling units in the country.
The amendment required presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit election results electronically to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal in real time, after the prescribed Form EC8A had been signed and stamped by the presiding officer and countersigned by party agents at each polling unit.
The Electoral Amendment Bill was considered by the Senate including the contentious clause on electronic transmission of results was presented for debate by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Senator Simon Lalong (APC, Plateau South). He introduced the bill and led debate on its general principles before detailed clause-by-clause consideration by the Senate.
Senator Lalong explained the need for the reform package, was aimed at addressing weaknesses in the current Electoral Act, including delays in result release and disputes over voter registers, and argued that strengthening legal provisions would help restore public trust ahead of future elections.
Supporters of the proposal argued that mandatory electronic transmission would strengthen transparency, curb manipulation during result collation, and enhance public confidence in the electoral process by allowing citizens to view results as they are uploaded.
However, a majority of senators voted to retain the existing provision of the Electoral Act, which gives INEC the authority to determine how results are transmitted. The law currently 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.”
Lawmakers who opposed the amendment raised concerns about network coverage in rural areas, technical failures, and the risk of excluding communities with poor internet access from the electoral process. They maintained that granting INEC flexibility would allow the commission to adopt methods suitable to varying conditions across the country.
With the Senate’s decision, electronic transmission of results remains permissible but not legally mandatory, leaving INEC to choose whether to deploy digital tools, manual processes, or a combination of both in future elections.