House of Reps Rejects Real-Time Election Results Clause After Senate Reversal
The House of Representatives rejected a motion to rescind its December 2025 passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, which mandated real-time electronic transmission of election results. Chairman Francis Waive's motion failed despite louder 'nays' during the voice vote, with Speaker Tajudeen Abbas ruling in favor of the 'ayes'. This follows the Senate's reversal of its earlier rejection of real-time transmission, now adding a manual collation option for technological failures. Both chambers have established a joint committee to harmonize conflicting versions of the bill. Opposition parties advocate for adopting the House's original 'real-time' clause, while the Senate's amended version includes fallback mechanisms. The Electoral Act's original clause required presiding officers to electronically transmit results to the IReV portal after signing EC8A forms, but the Senate's reversal and subsequent committee work create uncertainty about Nigeria's 2027 election technology framework.