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By Goli Innocent
The Senate has defended its latest amendments to the Electoral Act, insisting that lawmakers acted in the best interest of Nigerians despite mounting criticism over the decision to retain a manual backup for election results transmission.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Senate spokesman and Ekiti South lawmaker, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, said the upper chamber did not take the decision lightly.
“Anyone who loves Nigeria will know that what we have done today is the best for Nigeria,” Adaramodu said.
He dismissed critics of the amendment as “melodramatic,” stressing that lawmaking requires diligence and careful scrutiny.
“We don’t play to the gallery. The minor minority that are so melodramatic about it we don’t look at them to make laws because principles of lawmaking are not just something like eating amala,” he said.
The Senate had earlier rejected compulsory electronic transmission of election results directly from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IREV).
However, during an emergency plenary on Tuesday, lawmakers reversed that position and approved electronic transmission of results, though without including the phrase “real-time.”
The amended provision allows electronic transmission but retains Form EC8A as the primary instrument for collation in cases where internet connectivity fails.
The decision has sparked backlash from opposition figures, civil society groups and election transparency advocates, who argue that retaining a manual component could undermine credibility.
Adaramodu insisted the Senate carried out thorough consultations before arriving at its decision.
“We don’t just wake up on impulse and say we have made a law. You have to be very thorough. You have to be very painstaking,” he said.
“It must be so painstakingly done that the flaws must not be so latent to the extent that they can repudiate whatever good trust Nigerians have in our system.”
He argued that the varying opinions surrounding the amendment reflect a functioning democracy.
“Where democracy is thriving, there will be shades of opinions. There will be shadows of ideas, and we have to listen to all. So that is what happened,” he added.
The amendment has continued to generate reactions across the political spectrum, with some stakeholders demanding the removal of the manual backup clause, while others defend it as a necessary safeguard against technical failures.
The development comes amid heightened national attention on electoral reforms ahead of future general elections.
