Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, representing Ebonyi North Senatorial District, has called on Nigerians to applaud the 10th Senate for what he described as a bold and historic step in strengthening the country’s electoral process through the explicit inclusion of electronic transmission of election results.
Speaking on the recent amendment to the Electoral Act 2022, Nwebonyi stated that although the existing law did not make electronic transmission of results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing (IREV) portal mandatory, the 10th Senate moved to correct the gap in response to public demand for greater transparency.
According to him, under the leadership of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the upper legislative chamber made history by expressly inserting provisions that mandate the electronic transmission of results directly from polling units to the IREV portal after the results have been duly signed and copies distributed to party agents and security personnel at the polling units.
“The Electoral Act 2022, as previously amended, did not make electronic transmission mandatory. It is the 10th Senate, in line with the desires of many Nigerians for more transparent elections, that has now clearly inserted electronic transmission of results from polling units to IREV,” Nwebonyi said.
He emphasized that the move would further enhance credibility, reduce disputes arising from manual collation, and strengthen public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic system.
The lawmaker described the amendment as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s political and electoral history, insisting that the decision reflects the Senate’s commitment to deepening democracy and ensuring that the will of the people is accurately reflected in election outcomes.
