… Lawmakers reconvene Tue for sitting
ABUJA — The Senate has defended its decision to make electronic transmission of election results discretionary, rather than mandatory in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act, insisting that the move was guided by empirical data and the country’s infrastructural realities.
Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, clarified the upper chamber’s position in a statement issued by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs in Abuja on Sunday.
He stressed that the decision was not driven by sentiment, but by hard facts drawn from consultations with key stakeholders in the communications and power sectors.
According to him, lawmaking carries enormous responsibility worldwide and the Senate cannot afford to enact provisions that may ultimately work against the interests of citizens.
The Senate had earlier resolved against Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Bill, 2026, which stipulates that a presiding officer “shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time.”
While the chamber subsequently reviewed the contentious clause to strengthen electronic transmission in response to public concerns, it introduced a caveat that in the event of internet failure, Form EC8A would serve as the primary means of result collation.
Bamidele described the original Clause 60(3) as an initiative that any parliament would ordinarily embrace, given its potential to deepen public trust in democratic institutions, particularly the National Assembly and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
However, he said the Senate examined the broader implications of the clause and found that Nigeria’s communications and power infrastructure could not guarantee seamless real-time transmission nationwide.
Citing data from the Nigerian Communications Commission, he noted that broadband coverage stood at about 70 percent in 2025, while internet user penetration was only 44.53 percent of the population.
He also referenced the Speedtest Global Index, which ranked Nigeria 85th out of 105 countries in mobile network reliability and 129th out of 150 countries in fixed broadband reliability.
According to the index, Nigeria’s mobile network speed was 44.14 megabits per second, far below countries such as the United Arab Emirates (691.76 mbps), Qatar (573.53 mbps) and Kuwait (415.67 mbps).
In fixed broadband, Nigeria ranked 129th with 33.32 mbps, trailing global leaders like Singapore and France.
On power supply, Bamidele cited official figures indicating that about 85 million Nigerians, roughly 43 percent of the population still lack access to grid electricity. Although generation capacity hovers between 12,000 and 13,500 megawatts, he said the transmission and distribution network can deliver only about 4,500 megawatts nationwide.
Given these constraints, he expressed doubt over the practicability of mandating real-time electronic transmission, warning that embedding such a requirement in law without adequate infrastructure could trigger instability.
“In democracy, lawmaking sits at the heart of public governance. It does not respond to emotion but to facts and realities that can define or distort the future of our political system,” he stated.
He explained that the Senate’s redrafting of Clause 60(3) and (5) involved deleting the words “real time” to ensure the law reflects prevailing realities, while still preserving the framework for electronic transmission.
Meanwhile, the Clerk of the Senate, Mr Emmanuel Odo, announced that the upper chamber will reconvene plenary on Tuesday, February 17, at 11 a.m., on the directive of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In a notice issued to senators and made available to journalists in Abuja, Odo urged lawmakers to reschedule their engagements to attend the sitting, noting that crucial national decisions would be taken.
The Senate had last week held an emergency plenary over controversies surrounding the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026, despite having earlier adjourned sitting to February 24.
