The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called on the National Assembly to revisit the Electoral Amendment Bill and explicitly require the electronic transmission of election results from polling units, arguing that its omission undermines transparency and public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, the NBA’s National Executive Council (NEC), led by NBA President Afam Osigwe (SAN), adopted a report urging lawmakers to approve an amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3 of the Electoral Amendment Bill.
The report, presented at the NEC meeting in Maiduguri, Borno State, stressed the urgent need to make electronic transmission of results a statutory requirement to strengthen election credibility.
Under the proposed amendment, results from each polling unit would have to be uploaded electronically to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) Portal as soon as Form EC8A is signed, stamped and countersigned by party agents — a step the NBA argues would minimise disputes and bolster trust in outcomes.
The association criticised the Senate’s decision to retain the existing wording of the Electoral Act, which allows results to be transmitted “in a manner as prescribed by the Commission,” describing it as vague and insufficient for safeguarding election integrity.
The NEC warned that discretionary language in the law “undermines democratic accountability” and leaves room for manipulation and ambiguity.
“It is essential that the law clearly compels electronic transmission of results to protect the integrity of votes cast and restore public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process,” the NBA statement said.
The association also affirmed its commitment to continued advocacy to ensure that electoral laws reflect the will of the people.
In response to the controversy, Senate leadership has maintained that electronic transmission has not been removed from the law.
According to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the provision allowing electronic transmission remains part of the amended Electoral Act, and the decision was to retain rather than reject it. Several opposition senators also clarified that the Senate passed Clause 60(3) on electronic transmission, despite misreporting.
The Senate’s approach has drawn debate from civic groups and political activists who argue that without an explicit mandate, the legal basis for mandatory real‑time electronic results transmission remains unclear and could weaken transparency efforts ahead of the 2027 general elections.