The Senate of Nigeria on Tuesday passed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026, following a contentious debate over Clause 60 concerning the manual transmission of election results.
The session was rowdy from the start, with Enyinnaya Abaribe demanding a division on Clause 60(3), specifically the proviso that allows Form EC8A to serve as a manual backup if electronic transmission fails. Opposition senators argued that the clause could compromise electoral transparency.
The Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin clashed with opposition senators over whether the point of order was valid. The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, emphasised that prior decisions could be rescinded, allowing Abaribe’s demand to proceed.
During the division, 55 senators voted in support of retaining the manual backup proviso, while 15 opposed it. Akpabio noted that some interventions appeared intended to signal positions publicly to Nigerians.
Earlier, the Senate had temporarily stalled proceedings to conduct a clause-by-clause review of the bill after moving a motion to rescind the earlier passage. Concerns were raised over timing for the 2027 general elections and technical inconsistencies in the legislation. The review followed the announcement by Independent National Electoral Commission setting elections for February 2027.
The motion highlighted that the 360-day notice requirement in Clause 28 could force elections to occur during the Ramadan period, potentially affecting voter turnout, logistics, and inclusiveness. Discrepancies were also identified in the Long Title and multiple clauses—including Clauses 6, 9, 10, 22, 23, 28, 29, 32, 42, 47, 51, 60, 62, 64, 65, 73, 77, 86, 87, 89, 93, and 143—affecting cross-referencing, numbering, and internal consistency.
Despite the heated debate and procedural delays, the upper chamber completed the passage of the bill, retaining electronic transmission as the primary mode for result collation while allowing manual transmission as a contingency.
