The Nigerian Senate has amended the Electoral Act, allowing manual result sheets to override electronic transmission if there’s a network failure.
This decision was made during an emergency plenary session, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio stating that presiding officers will electronically transmit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IREV) after signing and stamping Form EC8A. However, if electronic transmission fails, the manual result sheet will become the primary basis for collation and declaration of results.
The amendment has sparked controversy, with civil society groups and opposition figures arguing that it undermines electoral transparency and opens the process to manipulation, particularly in areas with poor network coverage. Protests have erupted outside the National Assembly, with demonstrators demanding the reinstatement of real-time electronic transmission provisions.
Would you like to know more about the implications of this amendment or the reactions from various stakeholders?
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