Video: Senate amends electoral act, mandates electronic transmission of polling unit results to IREV
NASS
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Nigerian Senate has amended Clause 60 of the Electoral Act, mandating that presiding officers at polling units electronically transmit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) INEC Results Viewing (IREV) portal—unless network failures occur, in which case manual Form EC8A sheets become the primary collation source.
The amendment, passed on February 4, 2026, rejects fully mandatory real-time electronic uploads, instead granting INEC discretion to rely on electronic methods only where feasible.
Senators cited persistent infrastructure challenges across the country as justification during heated debates.
Public reaction has been swift and fierce.
One of the opposition leaders, Peter Obi has spearheaded protests, decrying the change as a regression that undermines voter trust.
Civil society organisations (CSOs) echo these concerns, warning that the non-mandatory clause risks fraud in the 2027 elections by allowing fabricated “network issues” to justify manual processes prone to tampering.
Opponents argue the provision echoes past controversies, where manual collation enabled disputes, while supporters defend it as a pragmatic nod to Nigeria’s uneven digital landscape.
