Senate Reconvenes for Emergency Plenary Amid Outcry Over Real-Time Electronic Transmission Clause
The Senate will reconvene today for an emergency plenary session amid mounting public pressure over the exclusion of compulsory electronic transmission of results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IREV) in the ongoing Electoral Act amendment process, PulseNets learnt.
Lawmakers had adjourned plenary for two weeks last Wednesday after approving the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2026, a move intended to allow senators engage heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) during the defence of their 2026 budget proposals.
However, developments took a turn following a notice of an emergency sitting circulated to senators. The memo, dated 8 February and obtained by PulseNets, signalled a sudden adjustment to the Senate’s legislative timetable.
The notice was signed by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, who stated that the directive was issued on the instruction of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
While the memo did not expressly state the reason for the emergency plenary, PulseNets gathered that the move is closely connected to widespread public backlash that followed the passage of the Electoral Act amendment bill last Wednesday.
Although the Senate introduced several amendments to the legislation, public discourse has largely focused on a controversial provision that failed to make electronic transmission of election results from polling units to INEC’s IREV portal mandatory.
Last week, senators passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill, 2026, at third reading. Central to the controversy is the removal of the phrase “real-time” from sections addressing electronic transmission of results—a decision critics argue weakens institutional safeguards against electoral manipulation.
Despite assurances from the Senate that electronic transmission of results was not entirely discarded, protesters maintain that the absence of the phrase “real-time electronic transmission” opens the door to abuse and post-election interference.
Also Read: Former Assembly candidate Slams Senate, Tinubu Govt Over Rejection of Mandatory Electronic Transmission
On Monday, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election and a prominent political figure ahead of the 2027 polls, Mr Peter Obi, led hundreds of demonstrators to the National Assembly Complex in Abuja in protest against the Senate’s decision, PulseNets reported.
The protest, which featured participation from several civil society organisations, called for the reinstatement of mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results in the amended Electoral Act, those who spoke to PulseNets said.
