This is happening a few days after the Senate passed the amendment bill on February 4 but voted down Clause 60(3), which sought to make it mandatory for presiding officers to electronically transmit election results directly from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing portal in real time.

The clause was designed to strengthen transparency and reduce manipulation in the collation process by ensuring immediate electronic upload of results.

Instead, lawmakers retained the existing discretionary provision on the “transfer” of results, which allows electronic transmission only after votes have been counted and publicly announced at polling units.

The decision has sparked widespread condemnation from civil society organisations, election observers and opposition figures, who described it as a major setback to electoral credibility and democratic reforms.

Furthermore, the House of Representatives’ bipartisan Conference Committee on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill is set to meet with its Senate counterpart this week to resolve outstanding differences in the versions of the bill passed by both chambers.

A member of the committee and lawmaker representing Bida/Gbako/Katcha Federal Constituency of Niger State, Mr Saidu Abdullahi, disclosed this in an interview with The PUNCH.

The bipartisan committee was constituted last week by the leadership of the House in line with legislative procedure for harmonising areas of disagreement between bills passed separately by the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The committee, chaired by Lagos lawmaker, Mr Adebayo Balogun, is mandated to engage with its Senate counterpart to reconcile divergent provisions of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, ahead of final consideration and passage by the National Assembly.

Speaking briefly with our correspondent, Abdullahi said, “We will meet within the week and discuss.”

The planned meeting comes amid sustained agitation by civil society organisations, opposition parties and sections of the public for further amendments to the Electoral Act 2022, which was signed into law after a prolonged legislative-executive process.

The Act was widely hailed for introducing reforms aimed at improving the credibility of elections, including clearer timelines for party primaries and provisions strengthening the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission. But allegations of inconsistencies between polling unit results and uploaded figures have further intensified calls for legislative clarity.

The NLC President, Joe Ajaero,  in a statement on Sunday, stated, “The Nigeria Labour Congress expresses deep concern over the confusion and contradictory narratives emerging from the Senate regarding the amendment to the 2022 Electoral Act, particularly on electronic transmission of results.

According to the NLC, the lack of clarity surrounding the Senate’s decision threatens electoral integrity and public trust, stressing that “Nigerians deserve a transparent system where votes are not only counted but seen to be counted.”

“Public records suggest the proposed amendment to mandate the Independent National Electoral Commission to transmit results electronically in real time was not adopted, with the existing discretionary provision retained. “This has generated nationwide apprehension, and subsequent explanations have only added to the confusion,” the union added.

It warned that “legislative ambiguity” at a critical period following the 2023 general elections could institutionalise doubt within the electoral system. The labour body demanded that the Senate issue an “immediate, official, and unambiguous account” of the exact provisions passed, including the final wording and the rationale behind its decision.

“The National Assembly leadership must also ensure the harmonisation process produces a final bill with crystal-clear provisions; any ambiguity in the transmission and collation of results is a disservice to our democracy,” the statement read.

The NLC insisted that the amended Electoral Act must provide a clear mandate compelling INEC to electronically transmit and collate results from polling units in real time, warning that failure to do so could trigger mass action.

“Failure to add electronic transmission in real time will lead to mass action before, during and after the election, or total boycott of the election,” the Congress said.

“Nigerian workers and citizens are watching closely. Our nation must choose the path of clarity and integrity. We need to avoid the same confusion that trailed the new Tax Acts. The time for honest, people-focused legislation is now.”

Civil society groups and opposition figures condemned the Senate’s decision, labelling it a setback for Nigeria’s democratic progress. Senate President Akpabio has, however, defended the chamber’s actions, insisting during a public event that the Senate did not reject electronic transmission and vowing not to be intimidated.

In a statement on Saturday by James Ezema, the MCE said the Senate’s action amounted to an “assault on the right of Nigerians to freely choose their leaders” and warned that it would deepen electoral fraud ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“By rejecting the mandatory electronic transmission of election results from polling units, the National Assembly has chosen opacity over transparency, manipulation over credibility, and elite conspiracy over the sovereign will of the Nigerian people,” the group declared.

It added, “We call on all our partners and allies to mobilise and proceed peacefully to defend the popular yearnings of Nigerians and resist any attempt to return the country to the dark days of manual manipulation and backroom results.’’

“Students, workers, traders, professionals, women, youth, community leaders, the media and the global community must stand up and be counted,” it stated.

The coalition is convened by prominent activists, including Ayuba Wabba, Dr Usman Bugaje, Femi Falana (SAN), Dr Oby Ezekwesili, Prof Pat Utomi, Dr Bilikisu Magoro, Amb Nkoyo Toyo, Shehu Sanni, Ene Obi and Olawale Okunniyi, among others.

MCE said electronic transmission of results was not controversial but a basic safeguard against election rigging.

“Mandatory electronic transmission of results is a minimum protection against result tampering, ballot rewriting and post-election fraud. Any legislature that blocks it is openly defending a system that thrives on stolen mandates and manufactured elections,” the statement read.

According to the coalition, there is no legitimate justification for rejecting the provision.

“There is no acceptable reason for opposing mandatory electronic transmission except fear—fear of the genuine votes and true mandate of the electorate,” MCE stated.