Particle.news
Get it on Google Play
Download on the App Store
10 ARTICLES
·
8mo ago

Nigeria Senate Reinstates Electronic Result Transmission With Form EC8A Fallback

A bicameral committee will now reconcile the Senate’s conditional approach with the House’s stricter bill before the president considers assent.

Electoral officials use stones to hold down ballots during the vote counting process of the gubernatorial election at a polling unit in Lagos, Nigeria March 18, 2023. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja
Image
Image

Overview

  • Meeting in an emergency plenary, senators rescinded last week’s removal of electronic transmission and re-amended the Electoral Act to permit uploads from polling units.
  • Under the revision, presiding officers are to transmit results electronically, but Form EC8A will serve as the primary collation document if internet failure prevents upload.
  • The motion was moved by Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno and carried by a majority after a rowdy session over the precise wording of Clause 60(3).
  • Both chambers agreed to form a joint harmonisation committee after the House passed a different version in December that sought stronger, real-time transmission requirements.
  • Public pressure—including a protest led by Peter Obi and a strike or boycott threat from the Nigeria Labour Congress—accelerated the U-turn, with debates shaped by INEC’s 2023 upload failures and patchy connectivity concerns.