The Senate has rejected a proposal to make the electronic transmission of election results compulsory, dealing a major blow to efforts to hard-wire real-time uploads into Nigeria’s electoral law.
Lawmakers on Wednesday voted down an amendment to Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Amendment Bill which sought to compel presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to electronically transmit polling unit results to the IREV portal immediately after Form EC8A is signed and stamped.
The rejection means electronic transmission remains optional rather than mandatory, leaving the procedure to INEC’s operational guidelines rather than statute.
During the same session, the Senate also moderated penalties for Permanent Voter Card (PVC) trading, rejecting a proposed 10-year jail term for buyers and sellers. Lawmakers retained a two-year imprisonment term but increased the fine from ₦2 million to ₦5 million under Clause 22 of the bill.
In further amendments, senators shortened key electoral timelines. Clause 28 was revised to reduce the notice of election period from 360 days to 180 days before polling. Originally, INEC was required to publish notices in all states and the Federal Capital Territory at least 360 days ahead of elections.
Similarly, Clause 29 was amended to cut the deadline for political parties to submit their lists of candidates from 180 days to 90 days before a general election. The new provision requires parties to submit names of candidates who emerged from valid primaries no later than 90 days to the poll.
The Senate also retained the existing provision on ballot paper format in Clause 44, which mandates INEC to invite political parties, not later than 20 days before an election, to inspect samples of electoral materials bearing their identities. Parties are to respond within two days indicating approval or objections.
On accreditation, lawmakers replaced smart card readers with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) under Clause 47. However, they rejected electronically generated voter identification and maintained the Permanent Voter Card as the recognised means of identification at polling units.
Meanwhile, the chamber struck out Clause 142 on the effect of non-compliance. The deleted provision would have allowed parties to rely solely on documents, without oral evidence, to prove alleged breaches of the law. Senators argued the clause could encourage procedural shortcuts and waste judicial time.
The decisions form part of the Senate’s clause-by-clause consideration of the Electoral Amendment Bill, which is expected to reshape Nigeria’s electoral framework ahead of future general elections.
