Abuja — The Senate on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, adopted a compromise provision allowing both electronic and manual transmission of election results, marking a significant shift in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act following weeks of intense public protests and nationwide demonstrations.
The decision was reached during an emergency plenary session presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, after the upper chamber faced mounting criticism for initially rejecting a clause that would have mandated real-time electronic transmission of polling unit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
The Senate’s new position aligns the chamber more closely with public demands for transparency while retaining flexibility for situations where electronic transmission may not be feasible due to technical, logistical, or security constraints. The adopted language now explicitly permits both electronic transmission and manual collation as complementary methods, subject to guidelines prescribed by INEC.
The move comes after the Senate last week rejected a proposed amendment to Clause 60 of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill, 2026, which would have made real-time electronic transmission compulsory. Lawmakers had retained the existing wording from the 2022 Act, stating that presiding officers shall transmit results “in the manner prescribed by the Commission,” a formulation critics described as vague and open to manipulation.
The initial decision triggered widespread outrage, leading to sustained protests under the #OccupyNASS banner outside the National Assembly Complex since Monday, February 9, 2026. Demonstrators—comprising civil society organizations, youth groups, labour unions, professional associations, opposition politicians, and human rights activists—demanded the restoration of mandatory real-time electronic transmission, chanting slogans such as “Electoral Reform Now,” “Our Votes Must Count,” and “Restore Real-Time Transmission.”
Security was heavily reinforced around the Three Arms Zone, with personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Department of State Services (DSS), and other agencies deployed to maintain order. Major access roads were cordoned off, but the protests remained largely peaceful.
Prominent figures including former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and activist Aisha Yesufu joined the demonstrations, describing the demand as a non-partisan effort to safeguard democratic integrity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Senate’s emergency plenary on Tuesday was convened specifically to address the controversy. Following deliberations, lawmakers agreed to amend the contentious clause to explicitly recognize both electronic and manual modes of transmission. The compromise is intended to balance the need for technological transparency with practical realities in remote or insecure areas where network coverage or infrastructure challenges may hinder electronic processes.
Senate President Akpabio, while announcing the outcome, confirmed that the chamber had expanded its conference committee from nine to twelve members to align with the House of Representatives’ delegation for harmonization of the two versions of the bill. He indicated that the reconciled version could be finalized within days or a week, with President Bola Tinubu expected to assent to the amended Electoral Act by the end of February 2026.
The dual-mode provision has been welcomed by some observers as a pragmatic response to public pressure, though critics argue that without a clear statutory mandate prioritizing real-time electronic transmission, the risk of manual interference during collation remains.
Civil society groups and protesters have vowed to continue monitoring the harmonization process and the final text of the bill to ensure that electronic transmission is not relegated to a secondary or discretionary option.
The development underscores the power of sustained civic engagement in shaping legislative outcomes in Nigeria’s democratic process. As the bill heads toward conference committee and eventual presidential assent, attention now turns to whether the adopted language will sufficiently restore public confidence in the electoral framework ahead of 2027.
