Senate Passes Harmonized Electoral Bill 2026, Retains Electronic Transmission of Results with Manual Backup
The Senate on Tuesday passed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026, retaining the provision for electronic transmission of results while including a fallback clause for manual transmission if the system fails.
Before the passage, the upper chamber witnessed a rowdy session over Clause 60, following a demand for a division raised by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio initially stated he believed the demand had been withdrawn, prompting immediate objections from opposition senators.
A debate ensued over procedural rules, with Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin citing Order 52(6) to argue it would be out of order to revisit provisions previously ruled upon.
This sparked further uproar, including a brief face-off between Senator Sunday Karimi and Abaribe. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele intervened to remind lawmakers that his motion for rescission had nullified previous decisions, affirming that Abaribe’s demand was procedurally in line.
During the division under Order 72(1), Abaribe specifically called for the removal of the clause allowing Form EC8A to serve as the basis for results if electronic transmission fails.
Senators were directed to indicate their stance by standing, with 15 opposition senators opposing the proviso while 55 senators voted in support.
Following the vote, Akpabio confirmed that the Senate had retained electronic transmission with a manual backup provision, ensuring continuity of the results transmission process in the event of network failures.
