Senate in Rowdy Session, Makes U-Turn, Passes Amended Electronic Results Transmission Bill

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

In a dramatic, tense and at times disorderly emergency session on Tuesday, the Senate made a surprise U-turn on its earlier decision on electronic transmission of election results, rescinding a key provision of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and approving a revised clause mandating electronic transmission of polling unit results, with safeguards for network failure.

The extraordinary sitting, convened primarily to adopt the votes and proceedings of the last plenary, quickly degenerated into heated procedural disputes, points of order, counter-orders and repeated interventions by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the session.

Lawmakers clashed over whether the chamber could revisit a decision already taken in the same legislative session.

The controversy centred on Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act Repeal and Enactment Bill, which the Senate had passed on February 4, 2026, retaining the word “transfer” of results rather than “transmission,” a move that sparked widespread public criticism and renewed debate over the credibility of future elections.

Trouble began when the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno, rose after the Senate President began reading pages of the votes and proceedings to invoke Orders 1(b) and 52(6) of the Senate Standing Orders, seeking leave to rescind the Senate’s earlier resolution on the disputed clause.

His request immediately triggered confusion on the floor, with several senators questioning whether such a motion could be entertained while consideration of the votes and proceedings was still ongoing. 

Others argued that the invocation of Order 1(b) gave the Senate the latitude to suspend normal procedure.

After the Senate President put the matter to a voice vote, the chamber agreed to allow Monguno to proceed.

Moving the motion, Monguno recalled that the Electoral Act Amendment Bill had been passed by the Senate but noted that “post-passage issues” had emerged, particularly on Clause 60(3), which required further legislative scrutiny to guarantee “smooth, transparent and credible elections in Nigeria”.

He argued that the Senate, as the embodiment of the people’s will, must respond to public concern and ensure that its laws reflected national aspirations.

Accordingly, the motion sought the rescission of the Senate’s earlier decision on the clause and its recommendation to the Committee of the Whole for reconsideration.

Monguno explained that the confusion arose from the controversy between the use of the words “transfer” and “transmission” of election results, insisting that clarity was required to eliminate ambiguity and restore public confidence.

He then proposed a fresh amendment stipulating that the presiding officer at each polling unit shall electronically transmit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IREP) after completing and signing Form EC8A.

Under the amended clause, where electronic transmission fails due to network or communication challenges, the manually completed and duly signed EC8A form would serve as the primary source for collation and declaration of results.

The motion was seconded by Senator Abba Moro, who described the development as “the beauty of democracy,” noting that lawmakers must retain the courage to correct themselves when necessary.

However, the chamber soon descended into further disorder after the motion was put to a voice vote and declared carried.

Several senators objected, invoking Order 72, which allows any senator to challenge the opinion of the presiding officer by calling for a division. 

Specifically, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe demanded for individual voting.

Loud protests and competing points of order followed, forcing the Senate President to repeatedly call the chamber to order.

At one point, Abaribe, who had called for a division, abruptly withdrew the request, further compounding the confusion. 

The Senate President ruled that the withdrawal stood, effectively upholding the voice vote that carried the amendment.

Following the resolution, the Senate proceeded to adopt the votes and proceedings of the previous sitting, bringing the stormy emergency session to a close.

The Senate’s reversal marks a significant shift on one of the most contentious provisions of Nigeria’s electoral framework and aligns the upper chamber with long-standing demands by civil society, opposition parties and election observers for mandatory electronic transmission of results.