Proceedings in the Senate turned tense on Tuesday before Senate President Godswill Akpabio appealed for unity and restraint, paving the way for the chamber to approve a revised provision allowing conditional electronic transmission of election results.
The decision followed a rowdy session triggered by a motion to rescind the Senate’s earlier rejection of real-time electronic transmission in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026. Heated exchanges broke out as lawmakers disagreed over procedure and whether the clause could be revisited.
As tempers flared, Akpabio repeatedly called senators to order, urging them to respect parliamentary process and place national interest above partisan divisions. His intervention helped calm the chamber after several minutes of disorder.
The tension eased when Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who had challenged the process and called for individual voting, withdrew his motion, allowing deliberations to continue.
Following the withdrawal, the Senate adopted a re-amended clause permitting electronic transmission of results after polling unit result sheets are signed, while allowing manual collation where network challenges occur.
The Senate later set up a conference committee to harmonise its version of the bill with that of the House of Representatives, as Akpabio urged lawmakers to work together to ensure the timely passage of the legislation.
At the close of plenary, Akpabio announced the constitution of a conference committee to harmonise the Senate and House versions of the bill, urging members to work together to ensure the legislation is concluded and transmitted for presidential assent without delay.
