Senate Did Not Reject Electronic Transmission of Results — Akpabio
The Senate has denied reports suggesting that it voted against the electronic transmission of election results while considering the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill.
The clarification was issued by Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, shortly after the upper chamber passed the bill following a marathon session that lasted about four and a half hours.
Debate on the controversial amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, began around 2:00 p.m. and ended at approximately 6:26 p.m., triggering widespread speculation on social media that lawmakers had rejected mandatory electronic transmission of results.
Reports circulating online claimed that the Senate struck down a proposal that would have required presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit results electronically from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal in real time, after signing and stamping the relevant result forms.
Addressing the claims, Akpabio described the reports as misleading, stressing that the Senate did not remove electronic transmission from the law.
“Distinguished colleagues, social media is already awash with reports that the Senate has rejected electronic transmission of results. That is not correct,” he said. “What we did was to retain the electronic transmission provision already contained in the Act and used in 2022.
“Please do not allow yourselves to be misled. If there is any doubt, our final votes and proceedings are available upon request.
“This Senate, under my leadership, has not rejected electronic transmission of results. It is even in my personal interest, as a participant in the next election, for such provisions to remain. We have simply retained the previous provision, which already allows for electronic transmission. It remains part of our law, and we cannot afford to move backwards.”
Akpabio’s remarks were aimed at easing public concerns and countering what he described as either deliberate or careless misrepresentation of the Senate’s actions, as the National Assembly continues work on electoral reforms ahead of future elections.
