Gkingmusik  reports that the clarification was made by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, shortly after the upper chamber passed the bill following a marathon plenary session that lasted about four and a half hours.

The controversy followed the Senate’s consideration of the contentious amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the bill, which commenced at about 2 pm and ended at 6.26pm.

The lengthy debate triggered widespread speculation on social media that lawmakers had voted against mandatory electronic transmission of election results.

Reports circulating online claimed that the Senate had rejected a proposal that would have compelled presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit polling unit results electronically to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal in real time, after signing and stamping result forms.

According to those reports, the Senate was said to have retained the existing provision of the Electoral Act, which states that “the presiding officer shall transfer the results, including the total number of accredited voters and the results of the ballot, in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.”

Reacting to the reports, Akpabio described the interpretation as misleading, stressing that the Senate did not remove electronic transmission from the law.

He said, “Distinguished colleagues, the social media is already awash with reports that the Senate has literally rejected electronic transmission of results. That is not true. What we did was to retain the electronic transmission that was in the act and was used in 2022.

“So please, do not allow people to confuse you. If you are in doubt, we will make our final votes and proceedings available to you upon request.”

The Senate President further emphasised that the current provision still allows for electronic transmission and aligns with previous electoral practices.

“This Senate under my watch has not rejected the electronic transmission of results. It is in my interest as a participant in the next election for such to be done. So please don’t go with the crowd,” he said.

“We have retained what was in the previous provision by way of amendment. That was all we did. The previous provision made allowance for electronic transmission. So it is still there as part of our law. We cannot afford to be going backwards.”

Gkingmusik  reports that electronic transmission of election results has remained one of the most debated aspects of Nigeria’s electoral reforms since the 2023 general elections.

Civil society organisations and opposition parties have consistently called for clearer and more explicit legal backing to strengthen transparency and boost public confidence in the electoral process.

Akpabio’s intervention was aimed at calming public concerns and correcting what he described as deliberate or careless misrepresentation of the Senate’s action on the bill, as the National Assembly continues work on electoral reforms ahead of future elections.