Senator Onyebuchi Nwaebonyi, representing Ebonyi North at the National Assembly, has said that Tuesday’s amendment to a section of the Electoral Act has officially authenticated the INEC Result Viewing portal (IREV) as a reference point for election results.
The Senate rescinded its earlier position, which had rejected the compulsory electronic transmission of results from polling units to IREV, following public backlash.
However, the lawmakers retained a provision allowing manual collation of results in areas with poor internet connectivity — a clause many critics have described as unnecessary.
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Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, Senator Nwaebonyi said he and his colleagues deserve commendation rather than criticism for their actions.
“Before now, Section 60, Subsection 3, which deals mainly with the transfer and transmission of results from polling units under the 2022 Electoral Act, made no mention of IREV. There was no electronic transmission of results as a matter of law.
“But now, the 10th Senate, being a corrective Senate, has taken a decision to expressly introduce electronic transmission of results from polling units to IREV.
“IREV is not a collation centre; it is merely a portal where people could view results before now. But by what we did yesterday, IREV has been statutorily authenticated as a reference point,” Senator Nwaebonyi said.
He described the Senate’s introduction of electronic transmission of results from polling units to IREV as unprecedented.
“As a matter of fact, the 10th Senate has made a name in the history of this country because this is the first time we are trying to recognise electronic transmission of results — it never happened before,” he said.
Network challenges
The Ebonyi lawmaker explained that the provision allowing manual collation was included in consideration of Nigeria’s level of development, noting that not all areas have internet coverage to transmit results in real time.
“You will agree with me that in the last election, for example, in my village, we didn’t have network; you cannot transmit within record time,” he said.
“Now the Senate, being elders, looked into it and asked: what happens to those results that didn’t report on the INEC portal on time? Does it mean we jettison those results? Does it mean you will disenfranchise people who voted there? That is why we put that proviso,” he added.
He claimed that the majority of Nigerians support the Senate’s decision, suggesting that only a few opposition members remain disgruntled.
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