Senate Retains Manual Backup in Electoral Act Amendment

Senate retained manual backup in Electoral Act amendment.
Fifty five senators backed manual fallback clause.
Electronic transmission approved but manual collation remains.

The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday approved electronic transmission of election results but retained manual collation as a backup following a tense plenary session.

Fifty five senators voted to retain the manual fallback clause in Clause 60 of the Electoral Act Repeal and Re Enactment Bill 2026, while 15 lawmakers led by Enyinnaya Abaribe opposed the provision.

EDITOR’S PICKS

EKO HOT BLOG reports that the upper chamber had earlier passed the bill but rescinded its decision and recommitted it to the Committee of the Whole after concerns were raised over discrepancies in several clauses and the timing of the 2027 general elections announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Debate on Tuesday was dominated by disagreement over Clause 60, which addresses the transmission and collation of election results.

Proceedings resumed with Abaribe demanding a division on the clause, triggering a rowdy session. He had made a similar move during last week’s emergency plenary but later withdrew it.

The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, urged calm and defended Abaribe’s right to seek a division.

“Whether or not he has done that in the past, it is within his rights to call for it. Let us allow him,” Bamidele said.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio recalled Abaribe’s earlier attempt, noting that it had been withdrawn and attracted reactions on social media.

Opposition senators objected, insisting the matter was properly before the chamber.

Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin cited Order 52 subsection 6 of the Senate Standing Orders and argued that revisiting a provision already ruled upon would be out of order. The submission led to further uproar, during which Senator Sunday Karimi briefly confronted Abaribe.

Bamidele maintained that he had moved a motion for rescission, rendering earlier decisions invalid and making the call for division legitimate.

Following the exchanges, Akpabio put the matter to a vote.

Fifty five senators, including Deputy Minority Leader Lere Oyewunmi, supported retaining the manual backup clause, while Abaribe and 14 others opposed it.

With the majority prevailing, the chamber retained the proviso.

Senate Retains Manual Backup in Electoral Act Amendment

Under the amended provision, the manually completed and signed Form EC8A will serve as the primary basis for collation and declaration of results where electronic transmission is disrupted by network or communication challenges.