The National Assembly on Tuesday approved the electronic transmission of election results while retaining manual collation as a backup option, a decision that sparked intense debates, protests, and walkouts by opposition lawmakers ahead of the 2027 general elections.
What began as a technical amendment to the Electoral Act quickly escalated into one of the most dramatic legislative sessions of the 10th Assembly, exposing deep political divisions across party lines.
In the Senate, a group of 15 lawmakers led by Enyinnaya Abaribe opposed the provision that allows manually completed result forms to serve as the primary basis for collation whenever electronic transmission fails. They argued that the clause weakens electoral transparency and creates room for manipulation.
Despite stiff resistance, the majority voted in favour of retaining the manual backup, with 55 senators supporting the clause, while only 15 voted against it. The approval marked the second time in two weeks that the Senate endorsed electronic transmission with manual fallback.
Under the adopted framework, results will be uploaded electronically to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s portal, but manually signed polling unit forms will prevail if technological challenges occur.
The debate grew more intense as senators revisited earlier amendments following concerns that INEC’s proposed election timetable conflicted with the bill. Lawmakers subsequently reduced the mandatory notice period for elections from 360 days to 300 days, granting INEC more flexibility in scheduling the 2027 polls.
In the House of Representatives, tensions boiled over when minority lawmakers staged a walkout after Speaker Tajudeen Abbas ruled in favour of amendments they opposed. The minority caucus accused the leadership of imposing controversial provisions and blocking efforts to make real-time electronic transmission mandatory without exceptions.
Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda said the opposition rejected any clause that could open the door to manipulation, insisting that electronically transmitted results should always override manual records.
Outside the National Assembly complex, protesters, joined by former Education Minister Oby Ezekwesili, accused lawmakers of attempting to weaken electoral safeguards. Ezekwesili warned that failing to enforce mandatory electronic transmission would undermine democratic transparency and public trust.
She said Nigerians deserved a credible electoral system where every vote counts and urged lawmakers to resist any attempt to compromise democratic accountability.
Behind the scenes, disagreements over budget funding reportedly contributed to the tension, as several lawmakers expressed frustration over delayed capital releases for previous fiscal years.
Despite the turmoil, both chambers eventually passed their versions of the bill, paving the way for harmonisation by a joint conference committee before transmission to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
With less than a year to full campaign season, the controversy over result transmission has intensified political anxieties, highlighting deep concerns over election credibility ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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