Pressure continues to mount on the National Assembly to approve mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IREV) as part of the ongoing Electoral Act amendment process.
Amid growing public outrage, senators are set to reconvene for an emergency plenary session today, with strong indications that the contentious issue of electronic transmission of results will dominate proceedings.
The Senate had last Wednesday adjourned plenary for two weeks after passing the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill, 2026, to allow lawmakers engage heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the defence of their 2026 budget proposals.
However, a notice announcing the emergency sitting, dated February 8 and signed by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, was subsequently circulated to senators. The memo stated that the directive to reconvene was issued by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, though no reason was formally given for the emergency session.
Nevertheless, indications suggest that the decision is linked to widespread reactions and protests that followed the Senate’s passage of the amended Electoral Act.
While the bill introduced amendments to several provisions of the electoral law, public attention has largely centred on a controversial clause relating to the electronic transmission of election results. The Senate, during the third reading of the bill last week, removed the phrase “real-time” from the provision on electronic transmission of results from polling units to the IREV portal.
Critics argue that the omission weakens safeguards against electoral manipulation and undermines transparency in the electoral process.
Although the Senate has issued a series of clarifications, maintaining that it did not reject electronic transmission of results outright, protesters and civil society groups insist that the absence of the words “real-time electronic transmission” creates room for abuse and post-poll interference.
The emergency plenary is expected to test the resolve of the upper chamber amid intensifying pressure from the public and stakeholders demanding stronger guarantees for electoral credibility.
