The Senate clarified its stance on Section 60(3) of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026 in its Votes and Proceedings of Wednesday, February 4 plenary, in the midst of the election results transmission dispute.
Mohammed Tahir Monguno, the Senate Chief Whip, proposed the amendment, which was then approved by the Red Chamber.
The Senate reiterated its adoption of electronic transmission of election results from polling places, as stated in the amended resolution.
In order to solve potential technical issues, lawmakers did, however, create a safeguard.
The physical copy of Form EC8, which contains the results recorded at the polling station, will be the main source of collation in the case of a technical malfunction or communication error that hinders the successful electronic transfer of results, according to the new explanation.
The presiding election officer must complete the form, stamp it, and sign it. Party representatives who are present at the polling station must also countersign it.
This effectively means that, even if electronic transmission is still the preferred method, Form EC8 will be used for manual documentation as a fallback in the event that technology is disrupted.
After the motion was adopted, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe made a counter-motion, requesting a division. This would necessitate separate votes on Section 60(3) in order to clearly define each senator’s stance.
Nevertheless, Abaribe retracted the motion after Senate President Godswill Akpabio requested that he act formally on the proposal.
The explanation follows increased public scrutiny of the Senate’s previous discussions, which provoked protests and national discussion over worries that the electronic transmission of findings in real time had been compromised.
Subject to realistic circumstances, the Senate currently maintains that electronic transmission is still a component of the law with the change to the Votes and Proceedings.
