Senate Yet To Conclude Work On Electoral Act, Attacks On National Assembly Premature – Godswill Akpabio

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has defended the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act, stressing that the Senate has not finalized the bill and that much of the public criticism stems from a misunderstanding of the legislative process.

Akpabio spoke in Abuja while addressing concerns over the Senate’s decision of not making real-time electronic transmission of election results mandatory as captured in the electoral act.

According to him, the amendment process is still ongoing and the Senate’s position cannot be considered final until all legislative stages are completed.

“The Electoral Act amendment is incomplete. We have not finished working on it. People are already debating it on television, but they don’t understand how lawmaking works,” he said.

He explained that decisions taken on the Senate floor are subject to review during the Votes and Proceedings stage, where lawmakers can correct or clarify what was agreed upon before final passage.

He explained that only after the Votes and Proceedings are released can senators point out any differences from what was agreed, and only then can the Senate’s final position be known.

Responding to claims that the Senate removed electronic transmission of election results, Akpabio dismissed the allegation, saying lawmakers only questioned the insistence on real-time transmission.

“We did not remove electronic transmission. That is not correct,” he said.

“All we said was that the word ‘real time’ should be removed.”

He argued that making real-time transmission mandatory could create legal problems during elections, especially in areas affected by poor network coverage or insecurity.

“If the law says ‘real time’ and the network fails, someone can go to court and say the result is invalid because it was not transmitted immediately,” he explained.

Akpabio warned that such a provision could disenfranchise voters in parts of the country where internet access is unreliable.

“In some states, networks are not working because of insecurity. If you insist on real-time transmission, it means there will be no valid results from those areas,” he said.

He added that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be allowed to determine how and when results are transmitted, based on available infrastructure and security conditions.

According to him, electronic transmission is meant to support, not replace, the existing manual collation process recognised by law.

“The result is recorded on Form EC8A and physically moved from the polling unit to the ward, local government, state and national collation centres,” Akpabio said.

The Senate President also noted that the bill has not completed the bicameral process, stressing that differences between the Senate and the House of Representatives versions would still be harmonised by a conference committee.

He said the Electoral Act amendment can only be regarded as passed after the entire legislative process is completed.

Akpabio urged critics to allow the legislative process to run its course, warning against what he described as premature attacks on the National Assembly.

“Democracy is not guided by passion alone, but by principles.”

He added that laws must be made with long-term national interest in mind.

He also recalled that the existing Electoral Act enabled competitive elections in 2023, including losses recorded by the then ruling party in several states.

“This same law allowed opposition parties to win elections in places like Lagos and Kano,” he said.

Akpabio concluded by saying that electoral reforms must be realistic and suited to Nigeria’s institutional capacity.

“Reforms must be legal, realistic and fair nationwide, and technology should serve democracy,” he said.

He added that real-time transmission cannot be imposed in areas without basic infrastructure.