Nigeria’s Senate Minority Caucus has said the Nigerian Senate did not reject the electronic transmission of election results while considering the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, contrary to reports that spread after Wednesday’s plenary sitting.
The caucus spoke on Thursday, 5 February 2026, a day after the upper chamber of Nigeria’s National Assembly faced criticism over claims that lawmakers voted against mandatory electronic transmission of results and also threw out a proposed 10-year ban for vote buyers and other election offenders.
Soon after the reports gained traction, Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, described the claims as misleading and said the chamber retained the provision on electronic transmission already contained in the Electoral Act 2022. He said the clarification was important to avoid legal and operational confusion.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the caucus felt compelled to address what he called a widespread misunderstanding of what happened on the floor of the Senate.
“Since yesterday, the media has been awash with reports suggesting that the Senate rejected the electronic transmission of election results. That is not correct,” Abaribe said.
“To put the record straight, the Senate did not, I repeat, did not reject electronic transmission of results as provided for in the 2022 Electoral Act,” he added.
Abaribe said the Senate’s position remained that election results can be transmitted electronically, and that this was also stated during plenary by the Senate President.
Okay News reports that the controversy grew partly because many Nigerians consider electronic transmission of results a key safeguard for transparency, especially after past elections where disputes often focused on how results were collated and announced.
Abaribe said senators hold a public trust given by voters in their constituencies, and when legislative actions are misunderstood, lawmakers have a duty to explain what truly happened.
“We came here under the trust of our senatorial districts. When it appears that our actions have been misunderstood, it becomes necessary to clarify exactly what happened,” he said.
He explained that the process leading to the bill involved a joint committee of Nigeria’s Senate and House of Representatives on electoral matters, including several retreats held within and outside Abuja.
He said the meetings included Nigeria’s election management body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as well as civil society organisations involved in election reforms and voter education.
According to him, the broad consensus at the end of those engagements was that electronic transmission of results should remain part of Nigeria’s election framework, and this agreement was reflected in reports submitted to both chambers.
Abaribe said lawmakers also held debates, public hearings, and consultations on the bill, and described electronic transmission of results as a central provision that could not be traded away.
He added that after the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters submitted its report, the Senate set up an ad hoc committee to further review the recommendations.
The ad hoc committee, chaired by Senator Sadiq Umar, produced findings that were later discussed during an executive session, which is a closed-door meeting of lawmakers.
“The closed session was held to tidy up all outstanding issues so that when we returned to plenary, the bill could be passed without rancour,” Abaribe said.
He said the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, the ad hoc committee, and senators at the executive session agreed unanimously on the clause covering electronic transmission of results, which he said is contained in Section 65 of the bill.
“At plenary yesterday, we passed the electronic transmission of results. However, because of movement and noise in the chamber, it appeared to some that something went wrong,” he said.
Abaribe said some senators later sought confirmation and were reassured that the provision had been approved. He also said video records of the sitting show the Senate President affirming that electronic transmission of results was passed.
He further explained that a harmonisation committee would be needed because the Senate and the House of Representatives have different versions of parts of the bill, including issues linked to timelines.
In Nigeria’s lawmaking process, both chambers must agree on the same final text before a bill can be sent to the president for assent.
Abaribe, however, said the Senate had not yet adopted its Votes and Proceedings, a formal step that confirms the official record of what was decided during plenary.
“After plenary yesterday, we adjourned without adopting the votes and proceedings. Under our rules, harmonisation cannot begin without that step,” he said.
He said the Senate would reconvene to adopt the Votes and Proceedings, and insisted the record must correctly reflect that the Senate approved electronic transmission of election results.
Abaribe said only after that step can the harmonisation committee meet, adding that its task is limited to reconciling differences by choosing either the House version or the Senate version on disputed areas.
“At harmonisation, you either adopt the House version or the Senate version, nothing else,” he said.
He reiterated that what the Senate passed was electronic transmission of results in real time.
“This is not a party matter,” Abaribe added. “Senators across party lines agree on this because transparent, free, and fair elections are the foundation of democracy. If results are not transparent or the process is distorted, then it is not a democracy.”
He also addressed questions about why an ad hoc committee was formed despite the work already done by the standing committee, saying the Senate has the authority to manage its internal processes. He added that members of relevant committees were present during deliberations to clarify technical and procedural issues when needed.
The caucus concluded by insisting that the Senate leadership would follow due process and that no harmonisation can lawfully take place until the Senate adopts the Votes and Proceedings confirming the provision on electronic transmission of election results.
