Fifteen senators have voted in favour of the mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results, a key clause in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act aimed at enhancing transparency and credibility in Nigeria’s elections, according to Politics Nigeria.
The senators who supported the measure cut across multiple parties, reflecting a mix of ruling and opposition affiliations. They include:
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central)
Enyinnaya Abaribe (ADC, Abia South)
Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central)
Aminu Tambuwal (PDP, Sokoto South)
Ireti Kingibe (ADC, FCT)
Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West)
Onawo Ogwoshi (ADC, Nasarawa South)
Tony Nwoye (ADC, Anambra North)
Victor Umeh (ADC, Anambra Central)
Ibrahim Dankwambo (PDP, Gombe Central)
Austin Akobundu (PDP, Abia Central)
Khalid Mustapha (PDP, Kaduna North)
Sikayo Yaro (PDP, Gombe South)
Emmanuel Nwachukwu (APGA, Anambra South)
Peter Jiya (PDP, Niger South)
Supporters of the clause argue that mandating real-time transmission will prevent result manipulation, reduce electoral disputes, and strengthen public confidence in the voting process.
The vote comes amid heated debates in both the Senate and House of Representatives over whether electronic results should prevail over manually collated results in the event of network failures. While some senators pushed for strict enforcement, the broader legislative consensus still allows manual collation as a fallback, sparking continuing discussions among lawmakers, civil society groups, and election monitors.
This development highlights the growing legislative effort to modernize Nigeria’s electoral system ahead of the 2027 general elections.