The Senate is experiencing internal conflict as some senators have accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of modifying the official records of Senate proceedings to exclude electronic transmission of election results from the new Electoral Act bill.
The accusations were made during a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, led by senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Aminu Tambuwal, and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
They claimed that the Senate had previously agreed to permit electronic transmission of election results during discussions on Wednesday, but that agreement was later omitted from the final announcement.
During the briefing, Sen. Abaribe expressed the need for clarification regarding what transpired during the session.
He pointed out that the Senate did not approve the “transfer” of results as indicated in the 2022 Electoral Act, but rather reached an agreement on “electronic transmission” of results.
Sen. Abaribe emphasized that both the Senate Electoral Committee, the ad hoc committee, and the executive session of the Senate had all concurred on Section 60(3), which endorses electronic transmission of results.
He stated that lawmakers desire legislation that is clear and straightforward, rather than one that could be subject to misinterpretation.
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“We want a law that is clear, concise, and unambiguous. That is why we agreed on electronic transmission of results,” Sen. Abaribe remarked.
On Wednesday, the Senate announced the passage of the Electoral Act 2022 Repeal and Enactment Bill 2026.
However, the Senate leadership clarified that electronic transmission of results was not made mandatory.
Instead, they maintained the 2022 system, which requires results to be manually filled out, signed, stamped, and shared with party agents and security officials.
Results will be announced at polling units and transferred according to guidelines established by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Additionally, the Senate rejected Clause 47 of the bill, which would have permitted electronic voter identification, such as downloadable voter cards with QR codes.
As it stands, voters are still required to present their physical Permanent Voter Cards, and accreditation will continue to depend on the BVAS or any other device approved by INEC.
