Nigeria Senate Makes E-Transmission Discretionary

The Nigeria===Senate of Nigeria has defended its decision to make the electronic transmission of election results discretionary, rather than mandatory, in the proposed Electoral Bill 2026. This move revises Clause 60(3) of the bill, which initially required real-time electronic transmission to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV). Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele stated that the decision was guided by empirical data from the Nigeria===Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and official statistics on power infrastructure, highlighting that Nigeria's broadband coverage (70% in 2025) and internet penetration (44.53%) are insufficient for mandatory real-time transmission. He also cited low rankings in mobile and fixed internet reliability and the fact that 85 million Nigerians lack access to grid electricity. The Senate argues that a mandatory provision could lead to instability and that the revised clause, which allows for Form EC8A as a primary collation method in case of internet failure, balances innovation with the country's infrastructural realities. This decision has drawn criticism from figures like Mike Igini, who warned of political consequences for legislators, and has prompted public demonstrations.