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Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, defended the upper chamber’s decision to remove mandatory “real-time” electronic transmission of election results from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, rejecting criticism from opposition parties, civil society organisations, and other interest groups.
Speaking on Tuesday at the public launch of The Burden of Legislators in Nigeria, a book by former Senator Effiong Bob, Akpabio said lawmaking extends beyond public opinion or media debate. He described legislative duties as complex and constitutionally weighty, encompassing representation, oversight, and fiscal responsibility.
“The burden of lawmaking is where every clause must balance liberty with order. The burden of representation is that millions of voices must be expressed through a single vote. The burden of oversight is where power must be questioned without malice, and the burden of budgetary control is where national dreams must be matched with fiscal discipline,” Akpabio said.
He acknowledged that senators operate under intense public scrutiny and frequent misrepresentation, but stressed that criticism should not become abusive. “Democracy breathes through social interrogation, but citizens are not free to abuse the legislature,” he said, cautioning against what he described as premature judgments on the bill, which has not yet completed all procedural stages.
According to Akpabio, the Senate has yet to formally adopt its Votes and Proceedings, a step necessary to finalise the chamber’s position on the bill. “Until we approve the votes and proceedings, the bill is not completed. Any Senator can still rise to say that the record does not reflect the agreed outcome, and it can be corrected. Why then are people setting up panels on television stations and abusing the Senate when the process is incomplete?” he asked.
Akpabio clarified that the Senate did not eliminate electronic transmission of results entirely, but opposed making real-time transmission compulsory under all circumstances.
He cited concerns about Nigeria’s infrastructure, including unreliable electricity, weak telecommunications networks, and security challenges in certain states.
“All we said was that the word ‘real-time’ should be removed. If you want to transmit results electronically, do so. If you want to use your phone, iPad, or any device, do so. But if you make real-time transmission mandatory and there is a network failure or a grid collapse, what happens to the election?” he said, warning that enforcing real-time reporting without contingencies could disrupt voting in areas with limited connectivity.
Akpabio referenced the contested 2000 U.S. presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore to illustrate that even advanced democracies face technical challenges with electronic voting systems.
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He also criticised some civil society actors for attempting to impose positions agreed during retreats on lawmakers, noting that consultations are advisory and do not replace floor deliberations.
“Retreats are part of consultation; they are not lawmaking. Why do you think that what was agreed in a retreat must automatically be passed on the floor? That is not how democracy works,” he said. Akpabio added that the Senate’s approach prioritises long-term legal stability over political expediency, insisting that laws should serve future generations rather than current parties or officeholders.
The Senate president’s comments came as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reiterated its commitment to using technology to improve electoral transparency and credibility. Prof. Joash Amupitan, INEC chairman, spoke in Abuja while monitoring a mock accreditation exercise ahead of the February 21 Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory.
Amupitan said Nigerians should not overreact to the Senate’s position, noting that legislative amendments require harmonisation between the Senate and the House of Representatives before a final decision is reached. “A final position can only emerge after due process has been completed,” he said.
The mock exercise tested the operational readiness of INEC’s upgraded Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which automatically detects duplicate attempts and uploads results to the commission’s IReV portal once connectivity is available.
Amupitan said the system successfully completed accreditation in about five seconds per voter and blocked repeat registrations, demonstrating its capacity to prevent multiple voting.
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Addressing potential network limitations in rural areas, the commission chairman said presiding officers could use personal internet hotspots to ensure results transmission. He stressed that the simulation was intended to assess procedural efficiency rather than to mirror the actual election, emphasising operational preparedness over final outcomes.
Amupitan also expressed concern over low participation in the mock accreditation, urging political parties to intensify voter mobilisation efforts. “We don’t want to use the main election as a guinea pig. This is primarily to test operational readiness, and our primary focus is the functionality of the BVAS, which, for us, is a game-changer,” he said.
The debate over mandatory electronic result transmission comes amid broader efforts to modernise Nigeria’s electoral system.
The proposed amendments to the Electoral Act are intended to strengthen transparency and reduce incidents of result manipulation, but disagreements over implementation details have triggered widespread public discussion and political scrutiny.
The Senate’s next step will be to formally adopt the Votes and Proceedings for the amendment bill before a final vote can determine the chamber’s official stance. Once both legislative houses reach agreement, the bill will proceed to the president for assent.
