Senate schedules urgent plenary to revisit controversial Electoral Act changes

Amid mounting public backlash over recent amendments to the Electoral Act, the Senate has fixed an emergency plenary session for Tuesday, February 10, 2026, to address the growing controversy.

The decision was formally announced on Sunday through a statement issued by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, following directives from the leadership of the upper legislative chamber.

“The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has directed the reconvening of plenary for an emergency sitting on Tuesday, February 10th, 2026,” the statement said.

According to the notice, the emergency session will begin at 12 noon, with all senators instructed to be in attendance.

The move comes just days after the Senate passed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill on February 4, a process that sparked public uproar after lawmakers rejected Clause 60(3)—a provision that sought to mandate the real-time electronic transmission of election results.

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Had it been adopted, the clause would have compelled presiding officers at polling units to electronically upload results directly to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing (IReV) portal. Instead, senators opted to maintain the current legal framework, which allows results to be electronically “transferred” at the discretion of electoral officials after votes have been counted and publicly announced at polling units.

The Senate’s decision has drawn sharp criticism from civil society groups and opposition leaders, many of whom argue that the amendment weakens transparency and undermines democratic progress in Nigeria.

In response to the criticism, Senate President Godswill Akpabio has publicly defended the chamber’s action, insisting that lawmakers did not abolish electronic transmission of results and stressing that the Senate would not succumb to pressure or intimidation.

Tuesday’s emergency sitting is widely expected to focus on the disputed amendment, as public pressure continues to build and some stakeholders—including human rights lawyer Femi Falana—signal the possibility of legal action over the matter.

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