Manny Ita –
The Senate on Tuesday voted by division to retain electronic transmission of election results as optional rather than mandatory, reaffirming its earlier amendment to the Electoral Act.
The vote followed a motion by Abia South senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who urged lawmakers to rescind the previous decision and make electronic transmission compulsory for elections. The motion triggered a tense and rowdy session lasting several minutes as senators split along caucus lines.
The amendment adopted last week allows results to be transmitted electronically but provides that where internet connectivity fails, Form EC8A will serve as the primary basis for collation. The document, completed at polling units immediately after counting, is widely regarded in election litigation as the foundational record of votes.
As tensions rose on the Senate floor, Senate President Godswill Akpabio ordered a physical division — a procedure in which lawmakers’ votes are counted by requiring them to stand and be tallied individually.
Fifty-five senators supported retaining the earlier position that keeps electronic transmission optional. Those in this group included Deputy Minority Leader Oyewunmi Olalere and Adamawa North senator Amos Yohana of the Peoples Democratic Party, with Mr Olalere acting as Minority Leader during the vote.
Fifteen senators voted in favour of making electronic transmission mandatory. Among them were Mr Abaribe, Victor Umeh (Anambra), Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi), Ireti Kingibe (FCT), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Abdul Ningi (Bauchi).
Following the count, Mr Akpabio announced that the Senate would maintain its earlier decision, thereby keeping electronic transmission as an option rather than a compulsory requirement in elections.
He commended senators who backed the prevailing position, stating that they had acted to uphold Nigeria’s democracy and ensure that election results are properly collated.
