ABUJA — A bloc of opposition lawmakers in Nigeria’s Senate says the red chamber did pass provisions on electronic transmission of election results, pushing back against widespread claims that lawmakers dropped the measure during Wednesday’s debate on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill.
At a Thursday press conference led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, with Senators Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Aminu Tambuwal and others, the group said Clause 60(3) was adopted at plenary and that reports of outright rejection were inaccurate. The caucus said the clarification was necessary to address public confusion and protect trust in the legislative process.
Their position aligns with Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s earlier floor clarification that the Senate retained electronic transmission as provided in the existing law, though controversy remains over whether the chamber rejected a stricter “real-time mandatory” formulation.
The disagreement is now centered less on whether electronic transfer exists at all, and more on how binding and immediate the final language should be. Some reports say mandatory real-time upload was voted down, while supporters of the caucus argue the Senate’s adopted text still preserves electronic transmission and will be further settled in harmonisation with the House version.
Abaribe said the Senate had not yet reconvened after Wednesday’s adjournment to adopt final Votes and Proceedings, noting there is still a legislative step before the harmonised text is sent for presidential assent. He urged Nigerians to scrutinise the process and hold lawmakers accountable.
With harmonisation between Senate and House versions now the critical stage, election stakeholders are watching whether the final bill will entrench mandatory real-time transmission or retain broader discretionary wording for INEC implementation.
