Nigeria’s upper legislative chamber has once again resisted efforts to enshrine mandatory electronic transmission of election results into law, preserving the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) discretion in determining how results are handled from polling units. This decision, reached during deliberations on the Electoral Amendment Bill, revives longstanding tensions over transparency and fraud prevention in the country’s electoral processes, even as public demands for technological safeguards continue to mount.
The rejection targeted a proposed change to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the bill, which would have compelled presiding officers at polling units to electronically transmit results in real time to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal immediately after signing and stamping Form EC8A, with countersignatures from party agents. As reported by Channels Television on 4 February 2026, lawmakers instead upheld the current wording of the Electoral Act, which stipulates that “the presiding officer shall transfer the results, including the total number of accredited voters and the results of the ballot, in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.”
This outcome echoes earlier parliamentary skirmishes but arrives amid a backdrop of evolving electoral technologies and persistent controversies. Official records from the National Assembly indicate that the debate centered on balancing innovation with practical challenges, such as network reliability in remote areas and cybersecurity risks, although no specific statements from individual senators were detailed in public releases.
The push for electronic transmission traces its roots to Nigeria’s post-independence electoral history, marked by recurrent allegations of manipulation under manual systems. From the First Republic’s 1963 census controversies that fueled regional distrust to the annulled 1993 presidential election under military rule—widely regarded as the freest in the nation’s history but voided amid claims of irregularities—the country has grappled with ensuring credible polls. The return to civilian rule in 1999 brought the Electoral Act 2002, but early elections under it, such as the 2003 and 2007 cycles, drew international criticism for widespread rigging, ballot stuffing, and result alterations, as documented in reports from observers like the European Union Election Observation Mission, which noted over 1,000 deaths in post-2007 violence alone.
By 2011, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), established in 1998 to replace previous bodies like the National Electoral Commission of Nigeria, began incremental reforms. Under Chairman Attahiru Jega, the 2011 elections introduced a national voter register and manual transmission. However, these elections still faced over 700 post-election petitions at tribunals, according to judiciary records. The turning point came in 2015 with the deployment of smart card readers for voter accreditation, a move that reduced multiple voting incidents by verifying fingerprints and Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), although it did not address result transmission. INEC’s post-election review reported a drop in over-voting cases from 15% in 2011 to under 5%, but manual collation remained vulnerable, leading to disputes in states like Rivers and Akwa Ibom.
The clamor for electronic transmission intensified by 2018, with pilot uses of the system in off-cycle governorship elections. In Ekiti, INEC transmitted results from 77% of polling units using smart card readers, as per Yiaga Africa’s observation data, while Osun saw 75% success. By 2020, the Z-Pad device enabled uploads to a dedicated portal in Edo and Ondo, achieving 90% and 75% upload rates respectively within hours of voting. These trials underscored the potential of technology to improve transparency, with a 2023 study from the Research Society of International Studies showing that electronic tools improved transmission speed and reduced rigging perceptions, with 66.2% explanatory power in logistic models assessing electoral integrity.
Parliamentary action peaked in 2021 during amendments to the Electoral Act. Initially, the Senate voted against mandatory electronic transmission, conditioning it on Nigerian Communications Commission approval for network coverage—a decision decried by civil society as a setback. Public outcry, including statements from figures like Senator Uche Ekwunife, who argued in a widely circulated social media post that “Nigeria is due for electronic transmission of results,” prompted a reversal. The Senate reconsidered, allowing INEC unconditional discretion, as captured in session records.
This paved the way for the Electoral Act 2022, signed by President Muhammadu Buhari, which formalized electronic transmission under Sections 47, 60, and 64. It mandated the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS)—a device for fingerprint and facial verification, plus result scanning—and the IReV portal for public viewing of polling unit results. INEC hailed it as a “big relief,” according to spokesperson Rotimi Oyekanmi’s public comments, promising real-time uploads to curb alterations during collation.
Yet, the 2023 general elections exposed flaws. Despite BVAS deployment across 176,846 polling units, technical glitches delayed uploads, with some units failing entirely due to configuration issues, as reported by presiding officers in media accounts. Opposition parties filed petitions alleging non-compliance, but the Supreme Court upheld results, ruling that electronic transmission was not mandatory for validity, only a supplementary tool. A Chatham House analysis noted intense scrutiny of infrastructure security, while the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance urged INEC to publish accreditation data alongside results for better trust.
Post-election data from the National Human Rights Commission indicated over 10,000 violence incidents linked to disputed polls between 2019 and 2023, amplifying calls for stricter mandates.
The 2026 rejection, amid fresh amendments, reflects these unresolved debates. Proponents, drawing from 2023’s 38% voter turnout—the lowest since 1999—argue that mandatory transmission could boost confidence, as evidenced by India’s e-voting successes in reducing disputes. Critics, however, cite Nigeria’s 60% internet penetration and rural connectivity gaps, per Nigerian Communications Commission figures, as barriers. INEC’s guidelines under the 2022 Act allow flexibility, but a 2024 SSRN paper warns that without impregnable electronic safeguards, post-election rancor will persist.
As Nigeria eyes future polls, this decision leaves the door open for INEC-prescribed methods, potentially blending manual and digital approaches. Official Assembly records show no immediate appeals, but civil society groups have signaled intent to lobby for reconsideration, emphasizing that credible elections hinge on verifiable results. The full implications remain contested, with evolving court interpretations likely to shape enforcement.
