- Akpabio noted that the law also provides an alternative in situations where electronic transmission is not possible
- Previously, the Senate had maintained sections of the 2023 Electoral Act that restricted the use of electronic transmission
- the new change allows results to be uploaded electronically where the necessary technology is available
The Senate on Tuesday revised Section 60 of the Electoral Act to permit presiding officers at polling units to electronically upload election results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Results Viewing Portal (IREV).
Eko Hot Blog gathered that the amendment was adopted during an emergency plenary session, where Senate President Godswill Akpabio explained how the updated process would work.
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Under the new provision, presiding officers are required to transmit polling unit results electronically to IREV after Form EC8A has been duly completed, signed, and stamped.
The form may also be countersigned by candidates or their agents where they are present at the polling unit.
Akpabio noted that the law also provides an alternative in situations where electronic transmission is not possible due to technical or network challenges.
In such cases, the manually signed and stamped Form EC8A will serve as the primary document for result collation and declaration.
The amendment, captured as Clause 60(3), was introduced following a motion by Senate Chief Whip, Mohammed Monguno, who urged the chamber to reconsider its earlier position against real-time electronic transmission of results.
Previously, the Senate had maintained sections of the 2023 Electoral Act that restricted the use of electronic transmission.
However, the new change allows results to be uploaded electronically where the necessary technology is available, while still recognising physical result sheets as the final authority if electronic transmission fails.
The debate over the amendment generated discussions on the Senate floor, with Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe initially calling for a formal division before later stepping down from the request.
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