The Nigerian Senate has fixed an emergency plenary session for Tuesday, February 10, to deliberate on the contentious issue of electronic transmission of election results.
The session, scheduled for 12 noon, was convened on the directive of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, according to a notice issued on Sunday by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo.
The emergency sitting comes amid mounting public pressure on the National Assembly to revisit key provisions of the Electoral Amendment Bill, particularly Clause 60(3) relating to the transmission of election results. The clause, as retained by the Senate during deliberations last Wednesday, mirrors provisions in the 2022 Electoral Act, allowing results to be transmitted “in a manner as prescribed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”
During that session, lawmakers voted against proposed amendments that sought to mandate real-time electronic transmission of results directly from polling units. The Senate also rejected a proposal to impose a 10-year ban on individuals convicted of vote-buying, opting instead to retain existing penalties, which include fines or jail terms.
The decisions sparked strong reactions from civil society groups, opposition figures, and electoral reform advocates, who argue that the retained clause grants INEC excessive discretion and could open the door to delays or manipulation in the collation process.
Although Senate leadership has maintained that the bill, as passed, reflected the will of the majority of lawmakers, the decision to schedule an emergency plenary is widely viewed as a response to the growing backlash and calls for greater transparency in the electoral process.
It remains unclear whether the Senate will reconsider or amend the disputed provision during Tuesday’s sitting, but the outcome is expected to have significant implications for Nigeria’s electoral framework ahead of future polls.