The Senate has amended its Votes and Proceedings of Wednesday, February 4 plenary, clarifying its position on Section 60(3) of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026, amid controversy surrounding the transmission of election results.

The amendment followed a motion moved by the Senate Chief Whip, Mohammed Tahir Monguno, and subsequently endorsed by the Red Chamber.

According to the revised resolution, the Senate reaffirmed its adoption of electronic transmission of election results from polling units.

However, lawmakers introduced a safeguard to address possible technical failures.

Under the new clarification, where there is a communication glitch or technical failure that prevents the successful electronic transmission of results, the hard copy of Form EC8 – which contains results recorded at the polling unit – shall serve as the primary source of collation.

The form must be duly completed, stamped and signed by the presiding election officer, and counter-signed by party agents present at the polling unit.

The development effectively means that while electronic transmission remains the preferred mode, manual documentation through Form EC8 will serve as a backup in cases of technological disruption.

Following the adoption of the motion, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe moved a counter-motion, calling for a division – a procedure that would require individual voting on Section 60(3) to clearly establish each senator’s position.

However, after the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, asked him to proceed formally with the request, Abaribe withdrew the motion.

The clarification comes amid growing public scrutiny over the Senate’s earlier deliberations, which sparked nationwide debate and protests over concerns that real-time electronic transmission of results had been weakened.

With the amendment to the Votes and Proceedings, the Senate now maintains that electronic transmission remains part of the law, subject to practical contingencies.