How 3 Southern Senators Scuttled Mandatory E-Transmission — Sources
Fresh facts have emerged on how the Senate rejected a key provision of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2026, that would have made real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal mandatory ahead of the 2027 general election.
According to sources, the controversial amendment — part of Clause 60(3) of the bill — was initially approved by the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters and had broad backing during closed-door sessions. However, as the plenary debate prolonged into the evening, the provision was ultimately expunged in the final version passed by the Senate.
While the Senate has not formally published the detailed roll call on the clause, insiders told Vanguard that three influential southern senators were instrumental in rallying fellow lawmakers to reject the mandatory e-transmission language — a move that has now ignited a political firestorm.
The vote to remove the clause came after Senate Chief Whip Sen. Tahir Monguno (APC-Borno North) moved a motion — seconded by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin (APC-Kano North) — that effectively struck “real-time” and similar compulsory language from the bill, leaving the modality of result transmission to INEC’s discretion.
The Senate’s decision has triggered a wave of criticism from civil society, labour unions, and opposition figures:
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened mass action or possible boycott of the 2027 polls should the Senate fail to clarify and restore a mandatory e-transmission clause, calling the current approach “confusing and detrimental to electoral integrity.”
Prominent activists and political commentators labelled the Senate move as “democratic sabotage”, arguing mandatory electronic transmission is a minimum safeguard against result manipulation, ballot tampering and post-election fraud.
Civil society groups have organised protests under banners like Occupy NASS, pressing lawmakers to listen to public demands and align reforms with citizens’ expectations.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has defended the decision, asserting the Senate did not reject electronic transmission but only removed the term “real-time” to allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the flexibility to choose the most appropriate transmission method.
Akpabio cited network and electricity challenges in multiple states — particularly insecurity-related outages — as reasons a strict real-time mandate would be unworkable and potentially invalidate results where connectivity fails.
As Nigeria heads closer to the 2027 general election cycle, the omission of a real-time electronic transmission requirement has become a flashpoint in the broader debate over electoral transparency and credibility. Critics worry that reliance on manually collated results or discretionary transmission methods may expose the process to manipulation or delay public trust.
The Senate has scheduled an emergency plenary sitting to revisit the issue amid rising public pressure, while voices across the political spectrum seek clarity on the final wording before the bill is harmonised with the House of Representatives and sent to the President for assent.
