The Senate has passed the Electoral Bill 2026, retaining electronic transmission of election results but rejecting a proposal that would have made real-time uploading to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal mandatory.
The bill was approved on Wednesday following prolonged deliberations, with senators divided over Section 60, which addresses the process for transmitting polling unit results.
A recommendation by the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters to compel presiding officers to upload results “in real time” was voted down. Lawmakers instead upheld the existing framework under the 2022 Electoral Act, which empowers INEC to prescribe how and when results are transmitted electronically after polling unit announcements.
Under the provision retained by the Senate, results must be counted and announced at polling units before being electronically transmitted to the designated collation centres. Presiding officers are also required to distribute result forms to polling agents and security officials where available.
Senators opposing the rejected amendment warned that mandating real-time transmission could disadvantage areas with limited network connectivity and increase the risk of election-related litigation.
Senator Adeyemi Adaramodu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, said the dispute was not about eliminating electronic transmission but about avoiding ambiguous language. He noted that both electronic uploads and physical result forms would continue to provide verifiable records.
The bill introduces significant reforms to the electoral calendar, including a reduction in the election notice period from 360 days to 180 days. Deadlines for candidate nomination and submission by political parties were also cut to 90 days.
In addition, the Senate strengthened sanctions for electoral offences by increasing fines for unlawful possession of voters’ cards to N5 million, while opting against a proposed 10-year ban on political participation for vote-buying offences.
The legislation formally replaces the smart card reader with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and tightens rules on candidate disqualification. Under the new provisions, political parties will no longer be permitted to substitute candidates disqualified after an election, with fresh polls to be held where necessary.
Presiding over the session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio rejected claims that the chamber had abandoned electronic transmission of results, describing such reports as false. He announced the establishment of a conference committee to reconcile differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill.
The committee is expected to complete its work within weeks, after which the final bill will be transmitted to the President for assent, as public debate continues over the role of technology and electoral timelines in strengthening confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.
