Nigeria’s House of Representatives descended into a rowdy session on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, as lawmakers adopted the Senate’s position on the electronic transmission of election results during deliberations on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2025/2026.
The chaotic atmosphere erupted in the lower chamber, presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, following a motion by the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Francis Waive, to rescind the House’s earlier approval of mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results via the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
The House had previously favored stricter real-time provisions, but the Senate’s version—passed amid its own divisions—allows electronic transmission with a fallback to manual collation using Form EC8A in cases of network or technical failure.
Opposition lawmakers protested vehemently against the voice vote ruling, which favored rescission despite louder objections from the “nays.”
Allegations of impropriety surfaced, with some members accusing colleagues of being influenced, leading to dramatic walk-outs by minority party representatives.
The uproar halted proceedings temporarily, prompting calls for clause-by-clause review and a closed-door executive session to calm tensions.
Rowdiness as House Adopts Senate’s Position
The session turned particularly heated during consideration of Clause 60(3), centering on the transmission mode.
After heated exchanges and protests, the House ultimately aligned with the Senate’s caveat: electronic transmission remains primary, but manual processes serve as a contingency when real-time upload fails due to technical issues.
This compromise has drawn criticism from civil society groups and activists demanding mandatory real-time transmission to enhance transparency and credibility ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The decision reflects efforts to reconcile differences between the two chambers before harmonization in a conference committee.
Protests outside the National Assembly continued, with groups urging adoption of the House’s original stricter stance to prevent potential malfeasance.
For footage capturing the intense rowdiness in the House chamber during this key debate, watch the video here
With both chambers now aligned on the transmission clause (with fallback provisions), the reconciled bill is expected to proceed swiftly toward presidential assent, balancing technological safeguards with practical realities for Nigeria’s electoral process.
