The Senate has approved a proposal allowing the electronic transmission of election results from polling units, reversing its earlier position on the matter.

The decision followed a motion moved by the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Mohammed Monguno, who sought to rescind the chamber’s previous rejection of real-time electronic transmission of election results.

With the adoption of the proposal, the Senate passed an amended Clause 60(3), which permits the presiding officer at each polling unit to electronically transmit election results after Form EC8A has been duly completed and signed.

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Under the approved clause, electronic transmission of results is allowed where the technology is available and functional. However, in cases where electronic transmission fails or becomes impossible, the manually completed and signed Form EC8A will serve as the primary source of the election results.

The passage of the clause sparked debate on the Senate floor, as Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe initially called for a division on the issue before later withdrawing the request.

The development comes after the Senate, last Wednesday, retained provisions of the extant Electoral Act 2023, which effectively rejected electronic transmission of results.

That decision had generated widespread reactions from Nigerians and opposition parties, with some critics calling for the removal of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.