NEWS
House of Representatives Moves to Mandate Real-Time Electronic Transmission of Election Results, Strengthens Electoral Sanctions
The House of Representatives has taken a decisive step toward deepening electoral transparency by approving a proposal that mandates the real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units across the country.
The resolution was adopted on Wednesday during a clause-by-clause consideration of a report seeking to amend the Electoral Act 2022. At the heart of the amendment is a new provision requiring presiding officers to electronically transmit polling unit results directly to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal, IREV, in real time.
Under the approved clause, results must be transmitted only after the prescribed Form EC8A has been duly completed, signed, and stamped by the presiding officer, and countersigned by candidates or their polling unit agents where available. This provision is aimed at ensuring that results uploaded to the portal accurately reflect what was recorded at the polling unit level.
Currently, the Electoral Act does not expressly compel INEC to transmit results in real time. Although the commission had pledged ahead of the last general election to upload results promptly, delays and prolonged inactivity of the IREV portal in several locations after voting concluded sparked widespread suspicion and public criticism.
The IREV portal was introduced as part of INEC’s technology-driven reforms to enhance the credibility, transparency, and integrity of elections. However, the operational challenges witnessed during previous elections intensified calls from civil society organisations and election observers for the National Assembly to enshrine electronic transmission of results into law.
In addition to the real-time transmission requirement, lawmakers approved several other far-reaching amendments to tighten the electoral framework.
One of the notable provisions introduces a five-year jail term for any presiding officer found guilty of declaring false election results, a move intended to deter manipulation and misconduct at polling units.
The House also ratified an amendment that establishes the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, as the primary tool for voter accreditation. The provision empowers presiding officers to use BVAS or any other technological device prescribed by INEC to verify, confirm, and authenticate the particulars of intending voters in line with the commission’s guidelines.
Furthermore, the amendment provides that where BVAS or any approved technological device fails to function at a polling unit and no replacement is deployed, the election in that unit shall be cancelled. In such cases, a fresh election must be conducted within 24 hours, provided INEC is satisfied that the outcome of the affected polling unit could substantially influence the overall result and the declaration of a winner in the constituency.
After deliberating on more than 70 clauses in the amendment report, the House adjourned its sitting, with lawmakers scheduled to reconvene on Thursday to continue the review process.
The latest legislative action signals a renewed push by the National Assembly to restore public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process through technology, accountability, and stricter enforcement mechanisms.