Electoral Act: Senate Rush Emergency Meeting Amid Public Fury – What Really Happened?

By: Abudu Olalekan

The Senate? Yeah. They called an emergency plenary. Set for Tuesday, February 10. Why? Because Nigerians are roasting them alive. All over that Electoral Act mess.

Let’s break it down. Last week—Wednesday, to be precise—the Senate passed an amendment. Or thought they did. They tweaked Clause 60(3). Removed the mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results. You know? That thing where INEC uploads results straight from polling units. Immediately. So voters can see. Trust the process.

But senators? They stripped out the word “real-time.” Just left “transfer” in there. Vague. Open to… interpretation.

Big mistake.

Backlash came fast. Like, instant. Civil society groups? Fuming. Political parties? Screaming. Ordinary Nigerians? Posting threads that could burn the internet. Everyone accused the Senate of rolling back democracy. One tweet said it plain: “They’re building loopholes for 2027.”

Pressure? Intense. Senators got calls. Texts. Threats. Sources at the National Assembly told Reportersroom that lawmakers are now scrambling. “We need to fix this before it explodes,” one said, voice tight.

So what’s the plan? That emergency sitting on Tuesday. President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, announced it Sunday via a two-line statement. Clerk Dr. Emmanuel Odo signed it. No details. Just “reconvening for urgent deliberation.”

But here’s the kicker. The Senate had adjourned for two weeks. Why? To review the 2026 budget. But now? They’re cutting that short. Because the Votes and Proceedings from that controversial day—February 4—haven’t even been ratified.

Wait. It gets messier.

See, after the vote, Akpabio set up a “harmonisation committee.” A joint team with the House of Reps. But senators are now arguing: “You can’t harmonise what wasn’t even officially recorded!” One lawmaker, who didn’t want his name used, snapped: “He’s building castles on sand. No votes, no records—just committees. Absurd.”

Many senators insist they need to re-vote. Electronically. “Each of us must stand by our name,” said a North-Central senator. “No hiding. Father’s name or nothing.”

Then there’s Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe. Minority Caucus leader. He’s loud about it. “We want real-time transmission. No compromises. Nigerians aren’t stupid.” He said it in a chat, short and sharp. “We don’t have the power to override the people. Period.”

But Akpabio? He’s defending the move. Last Saturday, at some book launch in Abuja, he doubled down. “Technology must save democracy—not endanger it,” he said.

His logic? “If you make it mandatory… what happens when there’s no network? Nine states offline? Grid collapse? Elections can’t hold there?” He shrugged. “We removed ‘real-time’ to give INEC flexibility.”

Flexibility. That’s the word he used.

But critics aren’t buying it. They say it’s a backdoor for rigging. And they’re not sitting quiet.

Take the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). They’re done talking. Comrade Joe Ajaero, their president, dropped a statement titled “The Senate Must Come CLEAN Now: Electoral Integrity at Stake.” Strong words.

He called the whole thing confusing. “One day it’s in, next day it’s out. What’s going on?” He warned: “If the Senate doesn’t fix this? Mass action. Boycott. You heard me.”

No bluff. The NLC’s already sharing phone numbers of committee members. Telling Nigerians: “Call them. Spam them. Say hello.” One message circulating reads: “Mandatory real-time or nothing. #OccupyNASS2026 starts this week.”

Then the lawyers. Human rights folks. They’re fuming too. Chief Malachy Ugwunmadu, veteran rights lawyer, told Reportersroom: “This isn’t just law. It’s trust. If results aren’t uploaded instantly? People will assume the worst.” He paused. “And honestly? They’d be right.”

Another lawyer, Ige Asemudara, was blunter. “The Senate’s playing politics. Plain and simple. Make it mandatory. Or forget free elections.”

Even the 2023 SDP presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, jumped in. He torn into Akpabio’s arguments. “Network problems? That’s lazy. We had real-time results in some states during 2023. It worked. They just don’t want transparency.” He warned Nigerians to prepare for resistance. “When lawmakers ignore the people? The streets respond.”

Now, back to Tuesday. The emergency sitting. What’ll happen?

Sources say the Senate will first ratify last week’s Votes and Proceedings. Then? Re-vote the clause. But there’s no guarantee they’ll switch back. Some powerful senators still argue “flexibility” is safer.

Others? They’re scared. Of protests. Of history repeating 2020. One senator admitted: “We saw how #EndSARS blew up. This? Bigger. It’s about who runs Nigeria in 2027.”

Akpabio, though? He’s standing firm. Told critics to stop “abusing” senators on TV panels. “Retreats aren’t law-making,” he snapped. “We know what’s best for Nigeria.”

But do they?

Because right now, the public isn’t buying it. Not one bit. Social media is a warzone. Hashtags like #SaveOurVotes and #RealTimeNow are trending. Even market women in Lagos are discussing it. One told a reporter: “If they remove that thing? We’ll remove them.”

Reportersroom checked the facts. URL? reportersroom.com/electoral-act. Short. No nonsense.

The truth is, this isn’t just about some legal clause. It’s about trust. And right now? That trust is crumbling. Fast.

Senate’s emergency meeting might calm things. Or make it worse. No one knows.

But one thing’s clear. Nigerians aren’t backing down. Not anymore. They’ve seen too much. And they’re ready to fight.

Even if it means flooding the streets. Again.

Let Tuesday come. We’re watching. Every move. Every vote.

Because this time? We won’t forget.