The House of Representatives has approved a proposal mandating the real-time electronic transmission of election results as part of ongoing efforts to amend the Electoral Act 2022.
According to a report by TheCable newspaper on Wednesday, the resolution was adopted during a clause-by-clause consideration of a report on the proposed amendment to the Act.
Under the approved provision, presiding officers are required to electronically transmit results from each polling unit to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time. The transmission is to take place after the prescribed Form EC8A has been duly signed and stamped by the presiding officer and, where available, countersigned by candidates or polling unit agents.
The current Electoral Act does not make real-time electronic transmission of results mandatory. Ahead of the last general election, INEC had pledged to transmit results in real time using the IReV portal, one of the technologies introduced to enhance transparency and credibility in the electoral process.
However, the portal experienced prolonged inactivity in some polling units even after voting had ended, raising concerns and suspicion among Nigerians. In response, several civil society organisations urged the National Assembly to explicitly provide for mandatory electronic transmission of results in the law.
