An emergency plenary of the Senate on Tuesday turned dramatic as lawmakers revisited the controversial Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill following public backlash and Monday’s “Occupy National Assembly” protest.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio aligned with a motion by Senator Tahir Munguno to rescind the earlier decision and recommit the clause for review.
The Senate agreed that electronic transmission of polling unit results remains the primary method, but removed the word “real-time” from the provision.
A fallback option was also adopted, allowing manual transmission using Form EC8A, duly signed and stamped by the presiding officer, in cases of network failure.
Tension rose when Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe demanded a recorded vote (division), triggering shouting across the chamber.
Abaribe later attempted to withdraw the motion, leading to a heated procedural dispute with the Senate President over whether a seconder was required.
After consultations, the withdrawal was allowed, averting a formal vote.
Senator Danjuma Goje’s attempt to raise a point of order was declined for failing to follow procedural requirements.
The Senate also expanded the Conference Committee from 9 to 12 members, giving them one week to harmonise the bill for presidential assent before the end of February.
The move follows nationwide criticism over the Senate’s earlier refusal to make real-time transmission mandatory. Akpabio had clarified that only the phrase “real-time” was removed to avoid legal complications in the event of network failures, insisting that electronic transmission was never rejected.
