The Senate on Wednesday retained the provision for the electronic transfer of election results as contained in the Electoral Act 2022, while rejecting proposals that sought to mandate real-time transmission of results and impose a 10-year ban on individuals convicted of vote buying.
The decisions were taken during the clause-by-clause consideration of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, with lawmakers insisting on preserving what they described as a clear legal distinction between “electronic transfer” and “real-time transmission” of results.
According to the Senate, maintaining this distinction is necessary to avoid legal and operational ambiguities in the management of election results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Under the retained provision, presiding officers are required to “transfer the results, including the total number of accredited voters and the results of the ballot, in a manner as prescribed by the commission.”
However, the upper chamber removed a clause that would have compelled presiding officers to upload polling unit results to INEC’s Result Viewing (IReV) portal in real-time after Form EC8A had been signed and stamped.
On electoral offences, the Senate also voted down a proposal recommending a 10-year disqualification from contesting elections for persons found guilty of vote buying.
The rejected clause, earlier proposed by the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, had suggested penalties ranging from a N5 million fine to two years’ imprisonment, in addition to the lengthy ban from electoral participation.
Opposing the proposal, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong argued that a decade-long ban was excessive and disproportionate to the offence. His position was supported by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who maintained that penalties must be firm but also reasonable and enforceable.
Following the debate, lawmakers agreed that offenders should face either a N5 million fine or a two-year term of imprisonment, without any additional ban from contesting elections.
The Senate further approved a reduction in key electoral timelines. Under the amended provisions, INEC will be required to issue notices of election at least 180 days before polling day, down from the current 360 days. Lawmakers also resolved that the nomination of candidates should close no later than 90 days before an election.
In addition, the upper chamber retained the use of the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) for voter accreditation and reaffirmed the permanent voter card (PVC) as the sole means of voter identification at polling units, underscoring continuity in Nigeria’s current electoral framework.