Senate rowdy session as Abaribe calls for individual vote on electronic transmission clause
The Nigerian Senate descended into a rowdy emergency session on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, as lawmakers clashed over a controversial provision on the electronic transmission of election results in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act. The turmoil began when the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno, moved a motion to rescind the chamber’s earlier position and revisit Clause 60(3), which concerns how results from polling units are transmitted and collated. The proposed motion sparked immediate protests from several senators who said the issue had already been concluded, triggering loud exchanges and procedural disputes on the Senate floor.
Amid the chaos, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe of Abia South called for a special vote in which each senator would vote individually on whether to mandate real-time electronic transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV). His demand for a division vote brought more tension and shouting in the chamber as senators tried to assert procedural points and challenge whether the motion was admissible at that stage. At one point, Senate President Godswill Akpabio repeatedly called for calm and urged lawmakers to respect parliamentary procedures.
The debates reflected deep divisions within the Senate over how best to ensure transparent and credible elections. Critics of the earlier decision to drop the real-time requirement said it could undermine public trust and electoral integrity ahead of the 2027 general elections, while others argued that infrastructure and logistical concerns required a more flexible approach. After heated deliberations and procedural interventions, Abaribe eventually withdrew his demand for an individual vote, allowing plenary to resume. The Senate later adopted a compromise amendment mandating electronic transmission of results while allowing manual result forms as a fallback if transmission fails.
The session highlighted ongoing tensions within Nigeria’s legislature as lawmakers balance public pressure, civil society demands, and internal procedures in shaping the nation’s electoral laws. The amended clause now forms part of the Electoral Act Repeal and Enactment Bill, which will proceed to a harmonisation committee with the House of Representatives before being sent to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
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