Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has insisted that the Senate approved the electronic transmission of election results in real time, rejecting reports to the contrary and saying his integrity is at stake in the controversy.
Abaribe clarified on Thursday while addressing journalists at the National Assembly, accompanied by 13 serving senators. He stressed that the Senate did not approve the “transfer” of results as stated in the 2022 Electoral Act, but deliberately endorsed electronic “transmission” of results.
“I am concerned about reports in the media, and that is why we decided to make this clarification. What we passed is the electronic transmission of results. I need to make this very clear,” he said.
The senator explained that the decision followed an extensive legislative process that involved consultations with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and civil society organisations.
According to him, a joint committee of the National Assembly held several retreats with stakeholders, leading to a consensus by both chambers that electronic transmission of results should be adopted.
He added that the Senate later constituted an ad hoc committee to review the electoral reform report, which was considered during a closed-door executive session.
“On my honour, during that executive session, we all agreed on electronic transmission of results in real time. At plenary yesterday, we also passed it,” Abaribe said.
He noted that the controversy emerged during plenary, despite confirmation by the Senate President that electronic transmission had been approved.
Abaribe further explained that although the Senate adjourned after plenary, it has not yet adopted the Votes and Proceedings, a procedural requirement before a conference committee can be set up to harmonise the Senate and House of Representatives versions of the bill.
“There is still one more step left. Until the Votes and Proceedings are adopted, the conference committee cannot meet. A huge number of senators across party lines are with us,” he said.
Also speaking, Senator Aliyu Ningi said the process dated back to 2024 and involved extensive deliberations.
“We had about 27 different sessions as a committee. It is painful that public opinion is being pushed in a negative direction despite the work done,” Ningi said.
Both lawmakers emphasised that the legislative process remains incomplete and that harmonisation cannot occur until all procedural steps are concluded.
Clarifying the choice of words, Abaribe said the Senate intentionally adopted “transmission” instead of “transfer” to avoid ambiguity.
“What is in the 2022 Act is ‘transfer’. We do not want a vague or ambiguous law. What we passed is electronic ‘transmission’ of results,” he said.
However, during clause-by-clause consideration, the Senate replaced the word “transmission” with “transfer,” in line with the existing Electoral Act. The move, proposed by the Senate Chief Whip and seconded by the Deputy Senate President, was adopted after arguments that the chamber should retain the exact wording of the current law.
The Senate President subsequently affirmed the retention of the existing provision, further fuelling public debate over the outcome of the amendment process.
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