Senate President Godswill Akpabio has fired back at protesters and critics of the newly passed Electoral Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2026, urging them to obtain and study the legislation before attacking the National Assembly over its contentious decision to discard mandatory real-time transmission of election results.
Speaking shortly after the Senate adopted the votes and proceedings of plenary and passed the bill on Tuesday, Akpabio defended the amendments, insisting they would strengthen Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“After today, elections in 2027, if this is assented to and accompanied by the President, will be very smooth, transparent, and will reflect the will of the Nigerian people. I congratulate all of us for the time we have spent on this, including working even on holidays. We have taken our time to do this,” he said.
In a pointed message to the bill’s detractors, the Senate President recounted a television interview where a professor allegedly criticised a separate reform bill without reading it.
“Just to tell a story of what happened on Arise Television morning. There was a professor who was being interviewed on tax reform. And after a lot of bashing on the National Assembly for over 45 minutes, somebody then asked him, ‘Have you read the tax bill?’ He said no, he had not read any portion of the tax bill, but he had come from what he had been told,” Akpabio narrated. “A professor commenting on something he has not read, just because of what he read on social media.”
Akpabio then directly addressed those criticising the Electoral Act amendment. “So, I hope people will take time, apply to the Senate, apply to the Clerk of the National Assembly, and get a copy of what we have done today. Like what we have done, before they run to social media to criticise and criticise and criticise. And for those of them who are so bold in sitting on television to castigate the National Assembly, please, pick up the bill. Pick up the Act of Parliament and look better at it. Because that is all it is. You don’t need to sit and criticise.”
He further added, “The sessions are open to all. Come and do better. But for us, with the step we have taken today, we have moved elections in Nigeria through a more transparent process more than ever before.”
The major controversy surrounding the bill centred on Clause 60(3), which governs the counting and transmission of results.
The final re-enacted provision reads:
“The Presiding Officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the IREV portal, and such transmission shall be done after the prescribed Form EC8A has been signed and stamped by the Presiding Officer and/or countersigned by the candidates or polling agents where available. Provided that if electronic transmission fails due to communication failure, Form EC8A shall remain the primary source of collation and declaration of the result.”
While the Act retains electronic transmission to INEC’s IReV portal, it removes the previously proposed mandatory real-time transmission requirement and explicitly recognises manual collation through the physical Form EC8A as the legal fallback where network failures occur.
During plenary, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe called for a division under Order 72 to challenge this proviso. The vote saw 55 senators support the Senate’s position, while 15 voted against reliance on manual procedures.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Simon Lalong, explained that the framework strikes a balance between technology and practicality.
“The goal of this amendment is to strengthen our democratic process, enhance transparency, and restore the confidence of the Nigerian people in our electoral system,” Lalong said.
The bill’s final passage followed a dramatic procedural motion for rescission moved by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele. Invoking Orders 1(b) and 53(6) of the Standing Rules, he sought to recommit the legislation to the Committee of the Whole for further amendment.
He argued that the earlier version’s 360-day notice requirement for elections could push the 2027 general elections into the Ramadan fasting period, potentially affecting voter turnout and logistics.
The Senate subsequently corrected discrepancies across more than 20 clauses—including Clauses 1(d), 10, 22, 23, 28, 29, 32, 42, 47, 51, 60, 62, 64, 65, 73, 77, 86, 87, 89, 93 and 143—before repealing and re-enacting the law clause by clause under Order 52(6).
