Ongoing protest at the National Assembly as Nigerians storm the complex under OccupyNASS, opposing the Senate’s stance on electronic result transmission and demanding accountability.
Recall that The Nigeria's National Assembly, particularly the Senate, has faced widespread criticism for refusing to make ''real-time (instant) electronic transmission'' of election results mandatory in the ongoing amendment to the ''Electoral Act 2022''.
On February 4, 2026, during clause-by-clause consideration of the **Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2026**, the Senate rejected a proposed provision (Clause 60(3)) that would have required presiding officers to electronically transmit polling unit results directly to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) **Result Viewing (IReV) portal** in real time after signing and stamping Form EC8A.
Instead, lawmakers retained the existing discretionary language from the 2022 Act, allowing results to be transferred “in a manner as prescribed by the Commission,” leaving electronic transmission optional rather than compulsory. Senate President Godswill Akpabio defended the decision, arguing that mandatory real-time uploads could cause chaos in areas with poor network or power, and emphasized that electronic transmission remains possible but not legally binding.
The move has sparked outrage from civil society organizations, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)—which threatened mass action and election boycotts—the opposition (including figures like Peter Obi), and groups like Yiaga Africa and the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, who argue it undermines transparency, public trust, and efforts to prevent fraud ahead of the 2027 elections. Critics view it as a setback from lessons of the 2023 polls, where delays in IReV uploads fueled disputes.
The Senate called an emergency plenary amid the backlash to address the controversy, while the House of Representatives had reportedly supported mandatory transmission in its version. The bill's final harmonized version and presidential assent remain pending.
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