The Senate is set to reconvene today for an emergency plenary session amid mounting public pressure over its handling of the Electoral Act amendment, particularly the controversial exclusion of mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results.

The emergency sitting follows widespread outrage after the upper chamber passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill, 2026 last week, shortly before adjourning plenary for two weeks to allow lawmakers engage Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on the defence of the 2026 budget.

A memo dated February 8 and signed by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, announced the emergency session, stating that it was convened on the directive of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. Although the memo did not specify the agenda, strong indications suggest the session is linked to the backlash over the electoral amendment.

Public criticism has centred on the Senate’s decision to remove the words “real-time” from provisions on electronic transmission of results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV). Critics argue that the change weakens safeguards against result manipulation and post-election interference.

While the Senate has issued several clarifications insisting it did not abolish electronic transmission, many stakeholders maintain that the absence of an explicit, mandatory real-time requirement leaves room for abuse.

Civil society organisations, including the Kukah Centre, Yiaga Africa, Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), International Press Centre (IPC), Elect Her, Nigerian Women Trust Fund and TAF Africa, have urged the Senate to adopt the House of Representatives’ position, which makes electronic transmission mandatory.

At a press conference in Abuja on Monday, the groups issued a two-week ultimatum to the National Assembly to conclude the amendment process and transmit the final bill to the President. They warned that continued delays were creating legal uncertainty and undermining INEC’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.

The groups also called on INEC to release the 2027 election timetable in line with the existing Electoral Act 2022, stressing that the ongoing amendment process does not suspend the Commission’s statutory obligations. They noted that applying INEC’s established framework would place the 2027 general elections on February 20, 2027, with notice required by February 24, 2026.

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has also joined calls for mandatory electronic transmission, warning that discretionary language in the amended bill weakens transparency and increases the risk of electoral disputes. The association urged lawmakers to urgently revisit the contentious clause and explicitly mandate electronic transmission of results from polling units.

Similarly, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) described the Senate’s position as a “missed opportunity,” warning that it was already fuelling mistrust in the electoral process and could discourage voter participation.

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) also backed real-time electronic transmission, dismissing the Senate’s objections as lacking technical merit. The engineers argued that secure electronic systems would enhance transparency, speed up collation, reduce costs and minimise manipulation, citing successful use of such systems in countries like Estonia and India.

Meanwhile, efforts to obtain comments from the Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, and other lawmakers on expectations from the emergency plenary were unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to them were not returned at the time of filing this report.