The Senate convened an emergency plenary session on Tuesday to tackle the growing controversy surrounding amendments to the Electoral Act, after Nigerians took to the streets to protest the scrapping of a clause mandating real-time electronic transmission of election results.
The urgent sitting comes just days after the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2026, and amid intensifying criticism from civil society groups, labour unions, opposition parties, professional bodies and youth movements, who accused the National Assembly of undermining electoral transparency.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered early Tuesday morning at the entrance of the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards with inscriptions demanding electoral accountability and digital result transmission.
The protest was peaceful but drew a heavy security deployment, including police officers and paramilitary operatives stationed at key entry points.
The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, presided over the session, which drew full attendance from members despite recent changes in the composition of the Upper Chamber.
The session, which commenced at 12 noon, was dominated by discussions on the Electoral Act amendment as public anger continued to build.
The Senate has seen a reduction in membership from 109 to 106 following the deaths of Senator Okechukwu Ezea (Enugu) and Senator Godiya Akwashiki (Nasarawa), as well as the appointment of Senator Jimoh Ibrahim as ambassador-designate by President Bola Tinubu.
The extraordinary plenary was formally announced on Sunday via a statement signed by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, which read, “The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has directed the reconvening of plenary for an emergency sitting on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.”
The session followed mounting calls for the Senate to reverse the removal of the phrase “real-time” from the clause on electronic result transmission.
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