The Senate has reaffirmed the use of both electronic and manual transmission of election results following an amendment to the votes and proceedings of its plenary held on Wednesday, February 4.
The resolution, which relates to Section 60(3) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, was introduced through a motion moved by the Senate Chief Whip, Mohammed Tahir Monguno, and subsequently endorsed by the Red Chamber.
According to the Senate’s decision, electronic transmission will remain the primary method for transmitting election results directly from polling units. However, lawmakers agreed that in situations where electronic transmission fails due to communication glitches, the manual result sheet, Form EC8, will serve as the primary source for collation.
The Senate clarified that the Form EC8 must be duly completed, stamped, and signed by the presiding election officer, as well as countersigned by party agents at the polling unit, before it can be accepted as a valid backup for result collation.
During the plenary, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe raised a counter motion seeking a division, which would have required individual voting by senators on the provisions of Section 60(3). However, he later withdrew the motion after Senate President Godswill Akpabio directed him to proceed with the legislative process.
The development is part of ongoing efforts by the National Assembly to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral framework ahead of future elections, while addressing concerns over technological challenges that may arise during the voting and collation process.
The provision has, however, earlier generated controversy across the country, with political stakeholders and civil society groups expressing divergent views while insisting on compulsory electronic transmission of results.
