February 10, (THEWILL) — The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Senate of deliberately undermining efforts to deliver credible elections in Nigeria, following the lawmakers’ decision to introduce an addendum allowing manual transmission of election results where technology is said to fail.
The Senate, during a plenary on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, adopted both electronic and manual modes of transmitting election results after a tense session.
Lawmakers revisited Clause 60 of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill 2026, ultimately maintaining that while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) can prescribe electronic transmission, it remains discretionary rather than mandatory.
Reacting to the development in a statement issued on Tuesday, the PDP described the Senate’s latest position as a “backdoor attempt” to weaken electoral integrity while pretending to bow to public pressure.
The statement, signed by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, noted that provisions for manual transmission already exist, insisting that mandatory electronic transmission is the only way to curb the manipulation of results between polling units and collation centers.
According to the PDP, the alteration of results during collation remains one of the gravest threats to Nigeria’s democracy.
The party further faulted claims that technology could fail at the point of transmission, arguing it is illogical for the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to successfully conduct voter accreditation throughout the day only to become unreliable during the transmission of results.
The PDP alleged that opposition to electronic transmission within the Senate was driven by personal political fears.
It specifically pointed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, claiming he remains unsettled by his 2019 election loss in Akwa Ibom North-West, which the party said was influenced by the deployment of technology to prevent over-voting.
“Nigeria is bigger than the narrow personal and political interests of any individual or group,” the statement said, warning that history would not absolve those who weaken democratic safeguards.
The party urged members of the 12-member Conference Committee, recently appointed and led by Senator Simon Lalong, to adopt the version passed by the House of Representatives.
The House version makes the electronic transmission of results directly to the IReV portal in real-time mandatory.
The PDP called on Nigerians to remain resolute in their demand for real-time electronic transmission, insisting that democracy must not be compromised under any guise.
“This hard-won democracy is far too valuable to be left in the hands of politicians alone,” the party declared.
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