Opposition lawmakers walk out as Reps approve electronic, manual transmission of election results

The House of Representatives has approved both electronic and manual modes of transmitting election results from polling units across Nigeria.

The approval was announced during plenary in Abuja on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, as the lawmakers rescinded the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill passed in December 2025, especially Section 60(3).

The former clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act amendment bill mandated INEC to electronically transmit results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing (IREV) portal in real time, together with physical collation of results.

However, the new one states that: “The Presiding Officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to IREV portal and such transmission shall be done after the prescribed Form EC8A has been signed and stamped by the Presiding officer and/or countersigned by the candidates or Polling agents where available at the Polling Unit.

“Provided that if the electronic transmission of the result fails as a result of communication failure and it becomes impossible to transmit the result contained in form EC8A signed and stamped by the Presiding Officer and countersigned by the candidates or polling agents where available at the polling unit, the form EC8A shall remain the primary source of collation and declaration of the result.”

Reps in rowdy session over move to reverse Electoral Act amendment

The opposition lawmakers thereafter staged a walk out of the chambers after the passage of the clause.

The crisis began when the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Francis Waive, introduced a motion seeking to rescind the bill earlier passed in 2025.

Speaker Tajudeen Abbas put the motion to a voice vote. Although the “nays” appeared louder than the “ayes,” he ruled in favour of the “ayes,” sparking immediate protests from some lawmakers.

In response to the uproar, Abbas called for an executive session, but the closed-door meeting failed to calm frayed nerves, as proceedings soon descended into another heated exchange.

The Star