The Nigerian Senate has amended the Electoral Act to allow the electronic transmission of election results, while retaining manual collation as a fallback option to address potential technical challenges.
The decision followed the Senate’s move on Tuesday to rescind its earlier stance, which had rejected the mandatory electronic transmission of results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IREV).
Under the revised amendment, the Senate approved electronic transmission—without the “real-time” requirement—as part of the electoral process. It, however, stipulated that Form EC8A would remain the primary instrument for result collation in situations where internet connectivity fails.
The proposal establishes electronic transmission as the preferred method for uploading election results, while providing a contingency that allows manual transmission using Form EC8A, duly signed and stamped by the presiding officer, in the event of network or technical disruptions.
Despite the resolution, the amendment raised concerns among some lawmakers, particularly regarding the reliance on Form EC8A as the definitive record in cases where disputes over election results arise.
