Betrayal In The Senate? Lawmaker Exposes Hidden Consensus On E-Transmission Of Votes

Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central, has affirmed that Nigerians’ concerns over the failure to enshrine real-time electronic transmission of election results in law are valid.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Speaking on Arise Television, Umeh warned that ambiguity in the National Assembly’s ongoing Electoral Act amendment risks eroding public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process. He cautioned that if clarity is not provided, the credibility crisis experienced after the 2023 general elections could resurface.

“What is happening now could confirm the fears of Nigerians—that electronic transmission of results may be discarded,” Umeh said.

He revealed that while senators had largely agreed in a closed-door session to retain electronic transmission of results to INEC’s portal, that agreement was overturned during plenary without proper debate.

“During our closed session, we agreed electronic transmission should be retained. But when we returned to plenary, the Chief Whip proposed that ‘electronic transmission’ be replaced with ‘transfer,’ the Deputy Senate President seconded it, and the Senate President immediately called a voice vote,” he explained.

According to Umeh, the decision effectively reverted the Senate’s version of the amendment to the vague language of “transfer of results” in the 2022 Electoral Act, rather than explicitly providing for electronic transmission.

“Anyone claiming electronic transmission wasn’t removed isn’t telling the truth. What exists now is ‘transfer of results.’ Check Section 65 of the 2022 Electoral Act—it refers to transfer, not electronic transmission,” he stated.

He emphasized that the push to amend the Electoral Act stemmed from the Supreme Court’s post-2023 election ruling, which declared electronic transmission unrecognized under current law and therefore inadmissible as evidence.

“This issue didn’t come out of nowhere. It arose from 2023, when the Supreme Court said electronic transmission is not recognized in our law. That judgment prompted efforts to amend the Electoral Act so that electronic transmission is explicitly provided for,” Umeh concluded.