Electoral Act: Electronic transmission debate forces Senate into closed-door session

Senators on Tuesday moved into a closed-door session to deliberate on whether to retain their earlier decision on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, which made electronic transmission of results optional rather than mandatory, as many Nigerians demanded.

Before moving into the executive session, lawmakers were considering a motion to rescind Clause 28 of the bill, which had reduced the period within which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must publish a notice of election from 360 days to 180 days.

The amendment to the clause, passed during the emergency plenary last Tuesday, prompted INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, to announce the 2027 election timetable and schedule of activities last Friday.

According to the timetable, the presidential and National Assembly elections will be held on Saturday, 20 February 2027.

Based on the announcement, the elections would take place during the 2027 Ramadan period. Since then, some Muslim groups have called for a rescheduling of the elections so they do not coincide with the fasting period.

At plenary, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), moved a motion for the Senate to rescind its earlier decision to allow INEC the authority to adjust the election timetable.

Mr Bamidele explained that INEC had consulted members of the National Assembly, noting that some Muslim stakeholders had requested that the presidential and National Assembly elections be rescheduled to avoid clashing with Ramadan.

He added that INEC subsequently requested a comprehensive review of the affected clauses in the amendment bill to grant the commission the constitutional authority to adjust its election programme where necessary.

About 22 clauses are proposed for amendment, including Clause 60, which the lawmakers had earlier revised to make electronic transmission of results optional rather than mandatory.

The clauses listed for amendment are 6, 9, 10, 22, 23, 28, 29, 32, 42, 47, 51, 60, 62, 64, 65, 73, 77, 86, 87, 89, 93 and 143. The proposed changes also affect cross-referencing, serial numbering and internal consistency within the bill.

Plateau South Senator, Simon Lalong, who chairs the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, seconded the motion.

Mr Lalong, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and a former governor of Plateau State, said lawmakers had worked on the amendment bill for over two years.

He noted that the election timetable announced by the INEC chairman followed an existing template developed by the immediate past chairman of the commission, Mahmood Yakubu, covering election cycles from 2019 to 2031.

The senator urged Nigerians to be fair to the INEC chairperson, arguing that the law provides room for amendments when necessary.

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The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, subsequently put the motion to a voice vote to allow it to be debated at the Committee of the Whole, and the majority of senators supported it.

At the Committee of the Whole, the senate president put the affected clauses to a vote one by one, and most senators voted in favour. However, deliberations stalled at Clause 60, which deals with the electronic transmission of results.

When the clause was called, Abia South Senator, Eyinnaya Abaribe, raised a point of order, apparently opposing the decision to make electronic transmission optional.

Following the development, the Senate president directed that the chamber dissolve into a closed-door session.