The House of Representatives was thrown into a heated session Tuesday as lawmakers sparred over a motion to rescind the “real-time” transmission clause in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The controversy followed a motion moved by the Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, Francis Waive.
Waive urged the chamber to reverse its earlier decision on compulsory real-time electronic transmission of election results, aligning with the Senate’s revised position.
When Speaker Tajudeen Abbas put the motion to a voice vote, loud “nays” echoed across the chamber.
Despite the audible opposition, Abbas ruled that the “ayes” had prevailed, a decision that immediately sparked protests from several lawmakers.
Aggrieved members shouted in objection, challenging the ruling and questioning the fairness of the voice vote procedure.
The disorder forced the Speaker to call for an executive session in a bid to restore calm and allow closed-door deliberations.
In December 2025, the House had passed an amendment mandating presiding officers to electronically transmit polling unit results to the IReV portal in real time.
The provision required transmission only after Form EC8A was duly signed and stamped by election officials and agents present.
However, the Nigerian Senate initially rejected the compulsory real-time clause when it considered its version of the bill.
The Senate later revised its stance, approving electronic transmission but inserting a manual collation option in cases of technological failure.
The differing positions prompted both chambers to establish a joint conference committee to harmonise their versions of the legislation.
Opposition parties have since urged the National Assembly to retain the House’s original real-time transmission provision without dilution.
