The Senate has amended the Electoral Act to mandate presiding officers to transmit election results electronically to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IREV).
Under the amendment, results from polling units are to be uploaded electronically in real time by presiding officers, reinforcing the use of technology to improve transparency and credibility in Nigeria’s electoral process.
However, the lawmakers also provided a fallback option. In situations where electronic transmission fails due to network challenges or technical issues, the manually completed result sheet will be adopted as the official record.
The amendment seeks to strike a balance between embracing electronic voting processes and addressing practical challenges such as poor network coverage in some parts of the country.
The development is expected to play a significant role in shaping future elections, as debates around electronic transmission and manual collation have remained a major point of contention in Nigeria’s electoral reforms.
