Senate emergency sitting voting row as lawmakers reconvene Feb 10 after rejecting mandatory electronic result transmission clause
The Senate will reconvene for an emergency plenary sitting on Tuesday, 10 February 2026, following controversy over its recent vote on a clause concerning electronic transmission of election results.
Also read: PDP, ADC, NNPP reject senate vote on electoral act, demand E-transmission of results
The announcement was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, who said all senators had been requested to attend the session scheduled to begin at 12 noon.
Emmanuel Odo said the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, directed the reconvening of plenary for the emergency sitting.
The development comes days after the Senate, on 4 February, passed an amendment bill but voted down Clause 60(3), which sought to make it mandatory for presiding officers to electronically transmit results from polling units directly to the Independent National Electoral Commission Result Viewing portal in real time.
Lawmakers replaced the provision with the existing discretionary process that allows electronic transfer of results only after votes have been counted and publicly announced at polling units.
Civil society organisations and opposition figures criticised the decision, describing it as a setback for democratic transparency and electoral credibility.
Godswill Akpabio, speaking at a public event, defended the chamber’s action, insisting the Senate did not reject electronic transmission and stating that lawmakers would not be intimidated by external pressure.
Tuesday’s sitting is expected to address the fallout from the vote, with attention on whether the chamber will revisit the rejected clause amid public outcry and the prospect of legal challenges, including from lawyer Femi Falana.
Also read: JUST IN: Senate rejects mandatory electronic result upload
The outcome could carry significant implications for Nigeria’s electoral process and the balance between legislative discretion and verifiable voting technology.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
