Senate has called for an emergency plenary amid outrage over rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Senate has announced an emergency plenary sitting for Tuesday, February 10, 2026, following mounting public outrage over its passage of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill and the rejection of a clause mandating real-time electronic transmission of election results.
The decision was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, who said Senate President Godswill Akpabio had directed all lawmakers to reconvene for the session, scheduled to commence at 12 noon.
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The emergency sitting comes amid growing pressure from labour unions, civil society groups and political activists, who have accused the National Assembly of undermining transparency in Nigeria’s electoral process.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened nationwide protests and possible election boycotts, citing what it described as confusion and contradictory explanations by the Senate over amendments to the Electoral Act, particularly on electronic transmission of results.
In a statement signed by its President, Joe Ajaero, the NLC said the Senate’s failure to clearly mandate real-time electronic transmission of results threatens public trust and electoral integrity. The union demanded an immediate and unambiguous clarification of the exact provisions passed, warning that legislative ambiguity could trigger mass action.
Also reacting, a coalition of political activists under the banner of the Movement for Credible Elections (MCE) condemned the removal of mandatory electronic transmission from the amendment bill, describing it as “democratic sabotage.” The group announced plans for a mass protest tagged “Occupy NASS,” scheduled for Monday in Abuja.
The controversy followed the Senate’s passage of the amendment bill on February 4, during which lawmakers voted down Clause 60(3). The clause sought to compel presiding officers to transmit polling unit results electronically to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing (IReV) portal in real time. Instead, the Senate retained the existing discretionary provision that allows results to be transmitted “in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.”
The decision has drawn widespread condemnation from civil society organisations, opposition parties and election observers, who argue that mandatory electronic transmission is essential to curb manipulation during result collation.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives’ bipartisan Conference Committee on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill is expected to meet with its Senate counterpart this week to harmonise differences in the versions passed by both chambers. A member of the committee, Saidu Abdullahi, confirmed that discussions would hold within the week.
Adding to the pressure, the pan-Yoruba socio-political group Afenifere has urged the National Assembly’s joint committee to reinstate mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results, warning that failure to do so could further erode public confidence in Nigeria’s democracy.
Afenifere described the Senate’s action as a setback to constitutionalism and electoral credibility, noting that the Supreme Court has previously ruled that electronic transmission is not mandatory under the current law unless expressly stated.
Despite the backlash, Senate President Akpabio has defended the chamber’s decision, insisting that the Senate did not reject electronic transmission outright and would not be intimidated by public pressure.
As agitation intensifies, stakeholders say the outcome of the emergency plenary and the harmonisation process will be critical to restoring confidence in the Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 general elections.
