Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has publicly support the Nigerian Senate’s revised approach to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, arguing that the upper chamber’s position will strengthen transparency and fairness in the country’s election process.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page after an emergency plenary session, the Senator representing Abia North Senatorial District said he “supported and added my voice to the Senate’s new position approving the electronic transmission of election results from polling units across Nigeria.”
Kalu explained that the Senate’s amendment to Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act allows presiding officers at polling units to transmit results electronically once Form EC8A has been duly completed, signed and stamped.
“This means electronic transmission becomes the primary method where the technology is available and functional,” he said, stressing that the system will play a key role in giving the public confidence in the outcome of elections.
However, Kalu emphasised that the Senate’s approach strikes a balance between modernisation and inclusion. He noted that in communities where network connectivity is poor or non-existent, manual collation remains vital:
“Where it [electronic transmission] fails or becomes impossible, the duly signed Form EC8A remains the valid and primary source of results,” he said. “This balanced approach strengthens transparency, fairness, and credibility in our electoral process, while ensuring that voters in network-challenged communities are not disenfranchised. Our democracy must work for every Nigerian, everywhere.”
The Senate’s decision follows a contentious review of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, which had seen sharp disagreement between lawmakers and civil society over how electronic transmission of results should be implemented. While the Senate upheld the provision allowing results to be sent electronically to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IREV), it stopped short of making transmission strictly compulsory or mandating real-time uploads, a point that triggered significant public reaction.
