2027: Majority of senators want real-time results transmission — Abaribe, Ningi, Umeh, others

2026-02-06 - 03:28

By Clifford Ndujihe, Henry Umoru, Peter Duru, Omeiza Ajayi & Luminous Jannamike THE Senate was divided, yesterday, as 13 frontline opposition senators kicked against reports that the upper chamber of the National Assembly rejected mandatory electronic transmission of election results in its Wednesday’s passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026. As outrage trailed the Senate’s reported decision, Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Victor Umeh and Abdul Ningi, among others, stated yesterday that they stand on the proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the bill, which sought to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory, and vowed that the provision would be monitored to the point of transmission for Presidential assent. According to them, more than two-third of the Senate wanted real-time transmission of election results and the Senate was yet to conclude the matter. The lawmakers spoke as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, LP, and former Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi, opposition parties, and civil society organisations, CSOs, among others picked holes in the Senate’s rejection of mandatory electronic transmission. Led by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe(APGA, Abia South), the 13 senators told reporters in Abuja that the Senate did not reconvene to approve the votes and proceedings of the plenary, and vowed to ensure there was that because there is still one more step left by the Senate to take. According to the Senators, they were worried by the backlash that followed Wednesday’s rejection by the Senate of electronic transmission of election results in real time by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as contained in section 60 (3) of the 2026 Electoral bill. On page 45 of the report of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Clause 60( 3), the provision states: “The Presiding Officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to IREV portal in real time and such transmission shall be done after the prescribed Form EC8A has been signed and stamped by the Presiding Officer and/or countersigned by the candidates or polling agents available at the polling unit.” Senate President Godswill Akpabio had during consideration of the bill clause-by-clause on Wednesday, announced that clause 60 as amended and not as recommended, which made the media to widely report that the new provision was rejected. Senate didn’t reject real-time results transmission Supported by 12 other senators, Senator Abaribe at the briefing declared that the Senate did not reject electronic transmission of results, adding that the 13 senators and many others across political divides would monitor the very important provision to the point of transmission for presidential assent. He said: “To put the record straight, yesterday (Wednesday), the Senate did not, I repeat, not pass transfer of results which was in the 2022 Act. What we passed, and which the Senate President himself said, when he was doing a clarification, sitting on his chair, is electronic transmission of results.” Apart from Abaribe, the other 12 senators include Abdul Ningi(PDP, Bauchi Central); Austin Akobundu(PDP, Abia Central); Peter Jiya(PDP, Niger South); Ireti Kingibe(ADC, FCT); Victor Umeh(LP, Anambra Central); and Binos Yaroe(PDP, Adamawa South). The rest are Senators Kabeeb Mustapha(PDP Jigawa South West); Khalid Mustapha(PDP Kaduna North); Mohammed Onawo(ADC, Nasarawa South); Aminu Tambuwal(PDP, Sokoto South); Tony Nwoye(LP, Anambra North); and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan(PDP, Kogi Central). Speaking further, Senator Abaribe said they organised the briefing to set the record straight and assure Nigerians that the provision shall be monitored by them to the point of transmission for presidential assent. “I can assure you on my own, and on all of us who are standing here, that both the Electoral Committee of the Senate and the Ad Hoc Committee of the Senate, and also in the Executive Session that we all agreed on Section 60 (3) which is electronic transmission of votes, or electronic transmission of results.” Abaribe, who explained that there was a joint committee of members of the electoral committees in both chambersthat worked on the electoral act amendment bill proposal, said: “The joint committees had several retreats, everyone agreed at the end of the retreat that electronic transmission of results was the way to go. And that was reflected in the reports, both in the House and in Senate reports, and I think the Senate President reiterated it, yesterday. “And it was the report of the Senate ad hoc committee that we considered when we went into a closed session, so, that we can tidy up the report. And when we now come back to plenary to pass it, we will pass it without any rancor. “I can assure you on the honour of all of us who are standing here, that both the electoral committee of the Senate and ad hoc committee of the Senate and also in the executive session that we have, that we all agreed on Section 63,(3) which is electronic transmission of votes. Opposition blasts Senate for rejecting e-transmission of poll results Major opposition parties have jointly criticised the Senate’s rejection of mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act, warning that the decision could undermine the credibility of the 2027 general elections and weaken public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process. In a joint statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ini Ememobong; National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi; and National Publicity Secretary of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Bamofin Johnson, the parties said the development had raised serious national concern and compelled them to jointly address Nigerians. “The grave implications of this retrogressive act by the Senate has compelled us as spokespersons of the major opposition political parties to jointly address this issue, which is capable of derailing our hard-earned democracy. “We are at a loss as to why a party that is currently deploying technology to run an e-registration of their members across the country is averse to using technology to transmit results,” the opposition parties said. They further alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, which controls both chambers of the National Assembly, was seeking to preserve weaknesses in the electoral system that could be exploited during elections. “They know Nigerians are fed up with them. They are aware of the rejection that awaits them at the forthcoming polls. A free and fair election has, therefore, become a threat to them. This is why they have to preserve and protect any loopholes that could aid the manipulation of the electoral process to their advantage. “However, regardless of their party affiliation, we would have expected the Senators to rise above party sentiments and act in the best interest of democracy, for which the legislature remains its most important symbol. But as usual, they failed the people they are supposed to represent,” they added. Referencing past judicial rulings, the parties noted that courts had previously held that electronic transmission of results was not expressly mandated under the Electoral Act 2022, describing the current amendment process as an opportunity to correct that gap and improve transparency in future elections. “With this rejection, the Senate has returned Nigeria to square one. The ball is now in the court of the conference committee, and we strongly urge its members to align themselves with the Nigerian people by adopting the position of the House of Representatives on mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results,” they stated. It’s unforgivable act of poll manipulation — Obi Echoing similar views Obi, who said the loss of over 150 lives in Kwara on Wednesday delayed his comments “on the outrageous and shameful news surrounding our electoral system. The Senate’s blatant rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results is an unforgivable act of electoral manipulation ahead of 2027.” His words: “This failure to pass a clear safeguard is nothing short of a deliberate assault on Nigeria’s democracy. By rejecting these essential transparency measures, they are eroding the very foundation of credible elections. One must ask: Does the government exist to ensure order and justice, or to institutionalise chaos? Is its purpose to serve the people, or to fulfil the sinister ambitions of a select few? “The turmoil, disputes, and manipulations that plagued past elections, especially the 2023 general election, stemmed directly from the refusal to fully implement electronic transmission. Nigerians were fed excuses of a fabricated “glitch” that never existed. While numerous African nations adopt electronic transmission to bolster democracy, Nigeria, the supposed giant of Africa, shamelessly lags behind, dragging the continent backwards. “We are wasting time hosting conferences and drafting papers on Nigeria’s problems while we, the leaders and elite, are the real issue. Our deliberate resistance to reform is pulling the country backwards, dragging us toward a primitive state of governance. “By rejecting mandatory electronic transmission, a critical safeguard for electoral integrity, we are entrenching disorder aimed at perpetuating confusion according to the whims of a small clique. Have we not reached a point where we must think seriously about the future of our country and our children? Vanguard News Nigeria