#FixPolitics Africa has called on the Senate to toe the path of honour and rescind the unpopular version of the Electoral Act it recently passed, which is raising dust across the country.

The Executive Director, Anthony Ubani, in a statement, also urged the red chamber to restore and firmly enshrine mandatory electronic transmission of election results from polling units in the law or follow the easiest but equally effective path, by adopting the House of Representatives version of the bill in the harmonisation conference.

He noted that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, had repeatedly insisted that the Senate would not be intimidated and that the National Assembly would stand its ground on the Electoral Act amendment.

“Those comments came before the Senate reconvened on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, and passed a new version of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill with a highly troubling clause on electronic transmission of election results.

“The new Senate clause, which was approved amid continued public backlash, reads, in part:

“That the Presiding Officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the IReV portal… provided that if the electronic transmission fails as a result of communication issues and it becomes impossible to transmit the results electronically, the Form EC8A shall, in such a case, be the primary source of collation and declaration of result.’”

In plain language, according to #FixPolitics Africa, this proviso means that if network or connectivity issues occur, paper forms would override electronic transmission, making the latter legally optional.

“This essentially guts any meaningful requirement for real-time transparency,” Ubani said. “Contrast this with the House of Representatives version of the Bill, which states clearly and progressively, ‘’INEC shall electronically transmit election results from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing Portal in real time, and such transmission shall be done simultaneously with the physical collation of results.’”

Ubani noted that the version passed by the House, which mandates real-time electronic transmission, aligns with global best practices for transparent elections.

He stated: "In modern democracies, electronic transmission is not replacing networks. Examinations and education occur online. For routine government functions, society has accepted that systems must work and that institutions must plan for reliability. There is no legitimate reason to treat the transmission of election results, the very foundation of democracy, as an exception.

“We remind the Senate and the Senate President that electronic transmission cannot be made a provision that depends on whether it ‘fails.’ It must be mandated and protected in law. It is the duty of the government to ensure that the systems required to run elections do not fail. It is not the duty of citizens to accept loopholes written into law that invite manipulation.”

The Senate's decision not to make electronic transmission mandatory and legally binding, he added, leaves room for discretion and human manipulation, as well as for any legal challenge to fail.

“This was the very loophole that undermined confidence in the 2023 elections. Civil society groups, labour unions, professional bodies, political parties, and concerned citizens have all condemned this outcome. They state clearly that failing to mandate unconditional real-time transmission of election results undermines transparency, credibility, and public trust in the electoral process.

“We are not talking about abstract legal theory. We are talking about the right of every Nigerian to see their vote counted as it is cast. The Senate cannot grandstand its way out of this crisis. Public confidence in electoral integrity cannot be dismissed with talking points about legal technicalities. Citizens are watching. Unions are mobilising. Civil society groups are organising. Peaceful mass protests have already been backed as an appropriate response to this setback.”

The #FixPolitics statement noted that the absence of tangible reforms that meet the expectations of Nigerians for transparency and accountability will strengthen the resolve to ensure that the 2027 elections do not proceed under a framework that is widely distrusted.

“This is not a threat, it is a democratic reality. Senators are not above the people, they are our representatives. Their authority comes from our mandate, not from their chambers. It is Nigerians who invest them with power, and it is Nigerians who can take it away.

“We urge the Senate, the Senate President, and every lawmaker to reflect honestly on this moment. History will not remember defiance, it will remember whether this generation of leaders chose transparency or opacity, credibility or cover-ups, the people or narrow political interests,” it reads.

Emphasising that Nigeria deserves elections that are free, fair, transparent, and credible, not half-measures, loopholes, or excuses, #FixPolitics insists on its solidarity with Nigerians. “We will not back down. We will not be intimidated, and we will ensure our demand, the citizens’ demand, is met.”

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