The Senate will hold an emergency plenary session on Tuesday amid growing controversy over proposed amendments to Nigeria’s Electoral Act, particularly provisions governing the electronic transmission of election results.
The emergency sitting was announced in a notice issued on Sunday by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, following a directive from Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
“I am directed by His Excellency, the President of the Senate, Distinguished Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, GCON, to inform all Distinguished Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that an Emergency Sitting of the Senate has been scheduled as follows: Date: Tuesday, 10 February 2026; Time: 12:00 noon; Venue: Senate Chamber,” the notice stated.
While no official reason was given for the emergency session, it comes against the backdrop of intense public debate and protests triggered by the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026, which scaled through a third reading last week.
At the centre of the controversy is Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the bill, which addresses the electronic transmission of election results. The Senate declined to approve a proposed amendment that would have made real-time electronic transmission mandatory, choosing instead to retain the existing provision in the 2022 Electoral Act.
The retained clause states that “the presiding officer shall transfer the results, including the total number of accredited voters and the results of the ballot, in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.”
The rejected amendment would have required presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to electronically transmit polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal in real time, after the relevant result forms had been duly signed and stamped.
In addition, the Senate rejected proposals seeking to impose a 10-year ban on individuals found guilty of vote-buying, opting instead to maintain the existing penalties, which include fines and jail terms.
