Senate President Godswill Akpabio has stated that the National Assembly did not outlaw electronic transmission of election results but only maintained the existing provision contained in the 2022 Electoral Act.
He made this clarification on Saturday in Abuja during a book launch focused on the responsibilities and pressures faced by lawmakers in Nigeria.
According to Akpabio, electronic transmission of election results is still allowed under the law. However, lawmakers agreed to remove the term “real-time” from the provision. He explained that insisting on real-time transmission could create legal disputes if technical failures such as network outages occur during elections.
The Senate President said the change was intended to avoid situations where election outcomes could be challenged in court due to technological glitches. He added that the decision was meant to give the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) enough flexibility to choose the most suitable method of transmitting results based on security conditions and technological realities.
Akpabio also stressed that the Senate would continue to pass laws that reflect the interests and expectations of Nigerians.
Reacting to the development, former Senate President David Mark said INEC should be given the authority to decide whether election results should be transmitted electronically. He also disclosed that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) supports electronic transmission of election results.
Public criticism intensified after the Senate passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026 at third reading but declined to approve an amendment that would have made electronic transmission compulsory.
The rejected amendment targeted Clause 60(3) and would have required presiding officers to upload polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV) immediately after results were signed and validated.
Instead, lawmakers retained the existing legal wording, which states that presiding officers should transfer election results in a manner determined by INEC.
The Senate has maintained that electronic transmission remains part of the electoral process, but not as a legally mandatory requirement.
