…the Senate opted to retain the existing provision that allows results to be transferred at the discretion of officials
ABUJA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | The Senate has announced plans to convene an emergency plenary session on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, following mounting public backlash over recent amendments to the Electoral Act.
The decision was disclosed on Sunday in a statement issued by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, who said Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, directed that lawmakers reconvene for the special sitting.
According to the statement, the emergency session will begin at 12 noon, with all senators mandated to be in attendance.
The development comes just days after the House passed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill on February 4, but rejected Clause 60(3), which proposed compulsory real-time electronic transmission of election results.
The clause, if approved, would have mandated presiding officers at polling units to transmit results electronically to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
Instead, the Senate opted to retain the existing provision that allows results to be transferred at the discretion of officials after votes are counted and publicly announced at polling units.
The move has sparked widespread criticism from civil society groups and opposition leaders, who argue that it undermines Nigeria’s democratic progress.
In response, Godswill Akpabio has defended the legislature’s action, stating at a public forum that the House did not oppose electronic transmission of results and would not bow to intimidation.
The emergency plenary scheduled for Tuesday is expected to re-examine the contentious amendment amid ongoing public outrage and looming legal actions by stakeholders, including human rights lawyer Femi Falana.
