Senate rejects compulsory e-transmission of election results, passes new law

The Nigerian Senate has passed a bill amending the Electoral Act, but not without controversy, after lawmakers rejected plans to make electronic transmission of election results mandatory and removed tribunals’ power to declare winners outright.

The bill was approved on Wednesday following more than five hours of closed-door debates and clause-by-clause review. Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced its passage after a voice vote.

While the House of Representatives had earlier passed the bill without major resistance, the Senate version sparked sharp disagreement, prompting the creation of an ad hoc committee to resolve disputed sections before the final vote.

What lawmakers changed, and what stayed

One of the most-watched decisions was the Senate’s refusal to compel the electronic upload of polling unit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal, known as IREV. Instead, lawmakers kept the existing provision that allows, but does not require, electronic transmission to collation centres.

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On voter accreditation, the Senate retained the Permanent Voter Card as the only acceptable form of identification, even though the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System does not read the PVC’s embedded chip. Proposals to allow alternatives such as the National Identification Number or passports were rejected.

Lawmakers also softened punishments for buying and selling PVCs. Rather than the proposed 10-year jail term, offenders now face up to two years in prison or a fine of ₦5 million, up from ₦2 million.

Another major change affects election disputes. Tribunals will no longer have the power to declare winners if the original winner is disqualified. Instead, a rerun election must be held, with the disqualified candidate and party barred from participating.

What the Senate’s amendment means for elections

These changes reshape how Nigeria’s elections will be conducted and contested, especially ahead of the 2027 polls. By refusing to make electronic result transmission compulsory, lawmakers have kept the system flexible while also leaving room for disputes over manual collation, a long-standing source of controversy in past elections.

The tribunal amendment also marks a major shift. Previously, courts could declare the runner-up winner in certain cases. Now, voters may be sent back to the polls instead, extending the electoral process and potentially increasing costs and uncertainty.

Responding to criticism, Senate President Akpabio said lawmakers did not scrap electronic transmission but merely retained what already existed in the law. “The Senate has not rejected electronic transmission of results,” he said, adding that the provision remains part of Nigeria’s electoral framework.

The bill was passed hours after the electoral commission urged lawmakers to speed up the process, warning that delays could disrupt preparations for the 2027 general elections. The House of Representatives has already approved the bill and sent it to the Senate for concurrence.