- Akpabio denies removal of e-transmission from the Electoral Act amendment.
- Senate only questioned mandatory real-time transmission, not electronic transfer itself.
- NBA and opposition parties criticised the amendment, calling it a setback.
- INEC should decide timing and method of result transmission, Senate insists.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has dismissed claims that the National Assembly removed electronic transmission of election results from the amended Electoral Act, saying lawmakers only raised concerns about making real-time transmission mandatory.
Akpabio made the clarification in Abuja while speaking as the special guest of honour at the unveiling of a book titled The Burden of Legislators in Nigeria, written by Senator Effiong Bob.
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Reacting to growing criticism from civil society groups, opposition parties, and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Senate President said the controversy was based on misinformation and an incomplete legislative process.
“The Electoral Act amendment is not finished. We have not completed it, yet people are already on television drawing conclusions. They clearly do not understand how lawmaking works,” Akpabio said.
The comments followed widespread reports that the Senate had rejected mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results, prompting the NBA to urge lawmakers to reverse the decision.
In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter), the NBA criticised the Senate for retaining a clause that allows results to be transmitted “in a manner as prescribed by the Commission,” arguing that it weakens transparency and creates room for manipulation.
Akpabio, however, pushed back strongly, accusing some critics of attempting to dictate legislative outcomes.
“People have become mouth legislators. If you want to make laws, go and contest elections. Retreats are consultations, not lawmaking. What is agreed at a retreat is not automatically what must be adopted on the Senate floor,” he said.
He stressed that the Senate did not remove any option for transmitting election results.
“I must say clearly that the Senate has not removed any means of transmission. If you want to use a bicycle, use it. If you want to use your phone or an iPad, use it,” Akpabio stated.
The former Akwa Ibom State governor explained that lawmakers were worried that inserting the phrase ‘real time’ into the law could lead to endless court cases, especially in areas with poor network coverage or power failures.
“If the law says real time and the network fails or the grid collapses, someone will go to court and say the process was invalid because it was not real time,” he explained.
According to him, insisting on real-time transmission could also disenfranchise voters in insecurity-prone regions.
“In over nine states where networks are down due to insecurity, there would be no results. If the national grid fails, no election result would be valid nationwide,” Akpabio warned.
He added that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be given the legal authority to determine the most appropriate mode and timing for result transmission.
Akpabio concluded by urging Nigerians to approach electoral reforms with realism, warning against forcing technology beyond the country’s current infrastructure.
“When people do not understand their legislature, democracy is at risk. Democracy is not driven by passion alone, but by principles,” he said.