A wave of disappointment swept across the country on Tuesday as the Senate rejected a key proposal that would have made the real time electronic transmission of election results mandatory. The decision came during deliberations on amendments to the Electoral Act 2022, reforms many Nigerians had hoped would strengthen transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
At the centre of the controversy was a proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, which sought to compel presiding officers at polling units to upload results electronically to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s IReV portal immediately after results were signed and endorsed by party agents. Instead, lawmakers voted to retain the existing provision that leaves the mode of result transmission to the discretion of INEC.
For many citizens, especially youths, civil society groups, and election observers, the rejection was seen as a setback. In communities where previous elections were marked by long delays, late night collation, and lingering doubts over credibility, instant transmission had come to represent more than a technical reform. It symbolised trust, openness, and a break from a history of contested outcomes.
A voter in Lagos, who asked not to be named, recalled waiting for hours at her polling unit during the last election. She said the delayed upload of results created suspicion and anxiety, adding that the Senate’s refusal to mandate immediate transmission felt like a step backward for democracy. Similar sentiments echoed across social media and civic spaces as the news spread.
Civil society organisations had consistently urged lawmakers to adopt the real time transmission clause, arguing that it would deter manipulation and give political parties and citizens quick access to results as votes were counted. Despite these appeals, the Senate passed the wider Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026 without the provision, exposing deep divisions over how far electoral reforms should go