The Senate on Tuesday approved its Votes and Proceedings allowing for electronic transmission of election results, but without the “real-time” provision contained in the House of Representatives version of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, as protests erupted around the National Assembly complex.

The decision came during a rowdy emergency plenary session convened to address the mounting public outcry over the Senate’s earlier rejection of mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results.

The Senate decided that the Presiding Officer shall electronically transmit results to the IReV portal after being signed and stamped by the Presiding Officer and countersigned by Polling Agents present.

However, if transmission fails due to communication issues, the Form EC8A, after being signed by the Presiding Officer and the Polling Agents, shall in such a case be the primary source of evidence.

This outcome still differs from the House of Representatives version of the Electoral Bill which includes “real-time transmission.” Civil society organisations are now calling on the Conference Committee to adopt the House of Representatives version.

It was a very rowdy session in the Senate as senators reconvened on Tuesday to consider the Votes and Proceedings of Wednesday, February 4, 2026.

Trouble started when the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North), raised a Point of Order that the Senate should rescind its earlier decision on Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

Monguno came under Orders 1(b) and 52(6) of the Senate Standing Orders 2023 as amended. The Point of Order was seconded by Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central).

The hallowed Chamber became tense with shouts of “Point of Order” from Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia South) when Monguno moved his motion reading Clause 60(3) and amended the clause with “transfer” changed to “transmission.”

However, Monguno read Clause 60(3) without “real-time” in his motion.

According to page 45 of the report of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Clause 60(3), the original 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.”

Senator Abaribe tabled a motion urging that each senator cast an individual vote on whether electronic transmission of election results should be made mandatory, invoking Order 72 which has to do with division.

At this point, the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, acknowledged that Abaribe had raised a Point of Order calling for division and vote.

However, Abaribe later withdrew his Point of Order calling for division.

Protesters, many of whom converged on the National Assembly complex early in the day, carried placards and chanted slogans demanding the reinstatement of electronic transmission provisions and greater transparency in the legislative process.

The extraordinary sitting came less than a week after the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2026, and amid mounting pressure from civil society organisations, opposition parties, labour unions, professional bodies, regional leaders, and youth groups who accused the lawmakers of weakening the credibility of future elections.

President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, presided over the session, which was attended by the remaining senators following recent changes in the composition of the Upper Chamber.

In the last six months, the Senate lost two members — Senator Okechukwu Ezea of Enugu State and Senator Godiya Akwashiki of Nasarawa State — to death, while Senator Jimoh Ibrahim exited the chamber after his appointment as an ambassador-designate by President Bola Tinubu, reducing the number of senators from 109 to 106.

The emergency sitting was announced on Sunday in a statement signed by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo.

“The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has directed the reconvening of plenary for an emergency sitting on Tuesday, February 10, 2026,” the statement said.

The plenary commenced at noon, with the Electoral Act amendments dominating deliberations as the protests continued outside the complex.

Civil society organisations expressed concern that the Senate’s position still falls short of their demands.

“This is the proposed amendment to Section 60(3) as contained in the Senate’s Vote and Proceedings under consideration in the ongoing emergency plenary. It does not make provision for electronic transmission in real time. We hope they reconsider this stance and refrain from adopting a proposal that makes the results management process vulnerable to manipulation and legal contestation. Reforms should exemplify progress not recession,” one group stated.

The call remains for the Conference Committee to adopt the House of Representatives version which includes mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results.

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