The Nigerian Bar Association has urged the National Assembly to pass a proposed amendment to the Electoral Amendment Bill that would compel the electronic transmission of election results from polling units.
In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, the NBA’s National Executive Council said it adopted a report by NBA President Afam Osigwe (SAN), urging lawmakers to approve the amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the bill.
NEC, which met in Maiduguri, Borno State, on February 5, 2026, said the report “highlighted the urgent need to mandate the electronic transmission of results to strengthen transparency and public confidence in elections.”
The NBA explained that the amendment would require presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission to transmit results in real time to the INEC Result Viewing portal “immediately after Form EC8A has been duly signed, stamped, and countersigned by party agents.”
NEC described the Senate’s decision to retain the current wording in the Electoral Act—which allows results to be transferred “in a manner as prescribed by the Commission”—as weakening “the legal foundation for transparent elections and leaving room for manipulation and ambiguity.”
The council warned that discretionary phrasing in the law “undermines democratic accountability” and stressed that “clear statutory compulsion, rather than discretionary wording, is essential to guaranteeing electoral transparency, protecting the integrity of votes cast, and restoring public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.”
The statement further added that credible elections are “the bedrock of constitutional democracy” and called on lawmakers to demonstrate “legislative responsibility and statesmanship by voting in favour of the proposed amendment compelling the electronic transmission of election results.”
The NBA also reaffirmed its “commitment to sustained engagement and advocacy to ensure that Nigeria’s electoral laws clearly reflect the will of the people as expressed at the ballot.”
However, the Senate dismissed claims that it had removed the electronic transmission requirement. Senate President Godswill Akpabio described such reports as misleading, saying the 2022 Electoral Act still mandates presiding officers to transmit results electronically.
“This is misleading.. Electronic transmission has not been removed from the law. The provision under the 2022 Electoral Act remains in force, and presiding officers are still required to transmit results electronically as prescribed.”
He added that retaining the current provision ensures “legal and operational clarity” while maintaining a secure and standardised process.
The Senate Minority Caucus also emphasised that lawmakers did not reject electronic transmission, noting that the Upper Chamber’s actions aim to safeguard transparency and credibility in Nigeria’s electoral process.
