Nigerian Senate Rejects Mandatory Electronic Transmission of Election Results
The Nigerian Senate has turned down proposed changes that would have mandated electronic transmission of election results. Instead, they have chosen to keep the current rules from the 2022 Electoral Act.
During a plenary session on Wednesday, senators reviewed the Bill for an Act to Repeal the Electoral Act No. 13, 2022, and Enact the Electoral Act, 2025. A significant proposed clause, new Clause 60(5), aimed to require presiding officers to send polling unit results electronically in real time to INEC's IReV portal after completing Form EC8A. This proposal was rejected.
The Senate decided to keep the 2022 framework. This framework requires results to be completed, signed, stamped, and distributed to party agents and security personnel manually. Results are announced at polling units and transferred "in a manner as prescribed by the Commission," without a requirement for electronic transmission.
Senators also dismissed Clause 47, which aimed to permit electronically-generated voter identification, like downloadable voter cards with QR codes, for accreditation.
The current rule requiring a physical Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) will stay in effect, while the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) or other devices specified by INEC for verification will remain.