By Ghazali Ibrahim
The Nigerian Senate has amended the Electoral Act to allow the electronic transmission of election results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV), but with conditions that retain manual result forms as a backup in case of technical failure.
In a special session on February 10, 2026, lawmakers reversed an earlier stance in which they had rejected making real-time electronic transmission of results mandatory.
The revised clause now stipulates that presiding officers at polling units should electronically transmit results after completing and signing Form EC8A, but if connectivity or communication issues prevent this, the physical Form EC8A will be used as the primary source of result collation.
The decision comes amid public criticism and protests from civil society groups and stakeholders who had pushed for mandatory and immediate electronic transmission of results from polling units to strengthen transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Senate leaders described the inclusion of electronic transmission as a compromise that acknowledges technological progress while addressing concerns over network reliability in parts of the country.
