Nigeria's major opposition political parties, yesterday, condemned Senate's handling of amendments to the Electoral Act, warning that refusal to clearly mandate real-time electronic transmission of election results poses a grave threat to the country's democratic future.
A group of senators also pushed back on the amendment to the Electoral Act, insisting that the upper chamber never rejected the reform Nigerians demanded.
Similarly, at joint press statement, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) controlled Senate of deliberately preserving legal loopholes that could enable manipulation of future elections.
The parties described Senate's action as "betrayal of public trust" and a dangerous rollback of democratic gains.
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The outrage followed the passage of the Electoral Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2026, in which Senate voted down a proposal that would have expressly compelled presiding officers to upload polling unit results to INEC's portal in real time.
Instead, they opted to retain Section 60 of the 2022 Act, which allowed electronic transmission "in a manner as prescribed by the commission".
According to the opposition parties, the decision flew in the face of the lessons of the 2023 general election and contradicted the expectations of millions of Nigerians, who had hoped the amendment process would finally close the gaps exposed by litigation and public distrust.
"The grave implications of this retrogressive act by the Senate have compelled us to jointly address an issue capable of derailing our hard-earned democracy," the parties said, accusing the ruling APC of acting out of fear of electoral defeat.
They questioned why a ruling party that relied on technology for its internal processes, including nationwide electronic membership registration, would resist deploying the same technology to guarantee transparent elections.
The statement read, in part, "We are at a loss as to why a party that uses technology to organise itself is averse to using technology to transmit election results.
"The Senate's posture was designed to protect weaknesses in the system that could be exploited at the polls."
The opposition also pointed to the Supreme Court's October 2023 judgement, which held that electronic transmission of results was not mandatory under the Electoral Act 2022 and that INEC's Result Viewing (IReV) portal had no legal status as a collation system.
The ruling, which proved decisive in dismissing the presidential election petitions and affirming President Bola Tinubu's victory, they stated, exposed a legislative lacuna crying out for correction.
"Those judgements clearly signalled the need for explicit legislative parentage for electronic transmission," the opposition parties said, insisting that leaving the matter to INEC's discretion undermines transparency and public confidence.
They urged the conference committee expected to harmonise Senate and House of Representatives' versions of the bill to adopt the House's position, which mandated real-time electronic upload of results, warning that anti-democratic laws could have far-reaching consequences for national stability.
At the same time, a group of senators across party lines, yesterday, insisted that Senate did not, in intent or substance, jettison real-time electronic transmission. They stated that the controversy stemmed from procedural lapses, semantic confusion, and an incomplete legislative process.
Led by former Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, the lawmakers said reports suggesting that Senate rejected electronic transmission were "premature and misleading".
They stressed that the chamber had yet to adopt its votes and proceedings, the legally binding record of what was passed.
Abaribe told journalists, "The Senate did not, I repeat, not reverse electronic transmission. What we passed is electronic transmission of election results, including real-time transmission. The process is not finished."
According to the senators, confusion arose during clause-by-clause consideration, when a proposal compelling real-time upload to IReV was voted down, while the broader agreement on electronic transmission was allegedly affirmed during a closed-door executive session meant to resolve grey areas.
They said the long-standing ambiguity between the terms "transfer" and "transmission" in the electoral law, an ambiguity Nigerians hoped the amendment would eliminate, remained at the heart of the dispute.
A member of the Electoral Committee, Senator Abdul Ningi, lamented what he described as a disconnect between extensive nationwide public hearings and the emerging narrative of the senate decision.
He said, "We conducted 27 public hearings across the country. Everything in this report reflects public opinion. Transparent elections are the foundation of democracy. This is not a party matter; it is a Nigerian matter."
Tensions were further heightened by protests over the initial composition of the harmonisation committee, prompting Senate President Godswill Akpabio to revise the list and appoint Senator Adeniyi Adegbomire as chairman.
Akpabio, however, maintained that retaining the 2022 provision still preserved electronic transmission in law, a position critics said fell short of the explicit mandate Nigerians demanded.
Beyond results transmission, Senate also approved amendments cutting election notice periods from 360 to 180 days, reducing timelines for submission of candidates' lists, formally replacing the card reader with BVAS, increasing fines for vote-buying and mandating rerun elections where winners are disqualified for fraud.
Yet, for opposition parties and many civil society voices, the defining issue remained the absence of a clear, unambiguous legal command for real-time results upload.
As the battle shifts to the conference committee, the fate of that provision is now widely seen as a litmus test for the credibility of Nigeria's future elections, and Senate's commitment to democratic reform.
Nigerians Deeply Invested in Real-time Voting, Counting, States INEC's Amupitan
Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, said Nigerians were deeply interested in real-time voting and counting, and wanted to see results as they emerged.
Speaking at a quarterly meeting with political parties, Amupitan explained that while the idea of early voting had been considered, it raised serious operational and cultural concerns.
He stated that by the time he assumed office, work on the Electoral Bill had largely been completed, but early voting stood out as one reform that could potentially accommodate election-day workers.
He cautioned against a system where votes were cast early and "warehoused" for counting after the general election.
Such an arrangement, he warned, could expose the process to abuse, manipulation and loss of public trust, with fears that "huge votes could suddenly appear from somewhere".
Amupitan said at the heart of the matter was Nigeria's electoral culture.
He stated that until the country built a culture and system that enjoyed absolute public confidence and seen as incorruptible, adopting early voting might remain difficult.
The INEC chairman also highlighted the heavy financial implications of conducting elections in a single day nationwide.
He explained that doing so would require the commission to almost double its electoral materials, since the current staggered process allowed for the reuse of some equipment.
He said one-day election would significantly increase the cost of elections and place enormous pressure on resources.
Obi Faults Senate over Electronic Transmission Vote, Seeks Vigilance by All
Former presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, condemned Senate's rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results, describing it as a deliberate attempt to undermine Nigeria's democracy ahead of the 2027 general election.
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In a statement, yesterday, Obi said his decision to comment on the electoral issue was delayed by the tragic killing of over 150 people in communities in Kwara State.
He called for prayers for the victims and described the incident as another painful reminder of Nigeria's deep governance crisis.
Obi described Senate's action as "outrageous and shameful," stating that the refusal to make electronic transmission compulsory removes a critical safeguard for credible elections.
According to him, the controversies and disputes that characterised previous elections, particularly the 2023 elections, were largely due to the failure to fully implement electronic transmission of results.
He dismissed claims of technical "glitches" during the last elections as fabricated excuses, stating that several African countries have successfully adopted electronic transmission to strengthen their democracies.
He warned that resistance to electoral reform by political leaders and the elite was dragging Nigeria backwards, saying the rejection of transparency measures entrenches disorder and creates room for manipulation by a small group acting in its own interests, rather than for the good of the country.
Obi recalled past remarks by foreign leaders who described Nigeria as corrupt or disgraced. He said continued opposition to reform only reinforced such perceptions.
He cautioned that electoral malpractice, like that witnessed in 2023, must not be repeated in 2027, stressing that Nigerians must be prepared to legitimately resist any attempt to undermine their democratic rights.
He further urged the international community to pay attention to what he described as early signs of planned future electoral manipulation, warning that such actions pose serious risks to Nigeria's democracy and development.
Reaffirming his long-held message, Obi concluded by saying a new Nigeria remained possible, but only if citizens collectively stood up to defend transparency, justice, and credible governance.
