Senate Retains Manual Backup For Election Results If E-Transmission Fails
✍️ By Teju/ February 17, 2026/ 7:22pm
The Nigerian Senate has taken a major decision on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill that will shape how election results are transmitted in future polls. After a heated debate and a division vote on the floor, lawmakers voted 55 in favour and 15 against retaining a provision allowing election results to be sent manually if electronic transmission fails due to network or communication issues.
The clause, found in Clause 60 of the Electoral Act (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill, 2026, permits the electronic transmission of election results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
However, the Senate reaffirmed that electronic transmission will not be mandatory in all circumstances and that the manually signed and stamped Form EC8A will serve as the primary source of results where technology fails.
The vote reflects a broader compromise in Nigeria’s ongoing electoral reform process. While some lawmakers and pro-democracy advocates have pushed for obligatory real-time electronic transmission to enhance transparency, others warned that poor network infrastructure in some regions could jeopardise the collation process if manual alternatives were removed.
Opposition voices, including senators who voted against the proviso, argued that prioritising manual methods where electronic transmission isn’t possible could undermine electoral transparency and weaken efforts to modernise the electoral process.
The amendment decision now moves to a conference committee where the Senate and House of Representatives will reconcile their versions of the bill before it is presented for presidential assent.
This development comes amid wider efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral framework after controversies in the 2023 polls, especially around public access to timely result uploads. Civil society groups have long advocated for clear statutory backing for electronic transmission to prevent disputes and build public confidence in election outcomes.
