The Senate’s recent decision to adopt electronic transmission of election results has sparked a wave of reactions from politicians, activists, and civil society figures, with opinions divided over the practicality and implementation of the measure.
Abia North Senator Orji Uzor Kalu expressed strong support for the move during Tuesday’s emergency plenary, following the Senate’s amendment of Section 60 of the Electoral Act. The change allows presiding officers at polling units to electronically transmit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Results Viewing Portal (IREV) wherever technology is available and functional. “Today at the emergency plenary, I supported and added my voice to the Senate’s new position approving the electronic transmission of election results from polling units across Nigeria. Our democracy must work for every Nigerian, everywhere,” Kalu said.
Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore also weighed in, highlighting the feasibility of electronic voting given Nigeria’s existing digital infrastructure. Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Sowore argued that if Nigerians can send money electronically, the same technology could securely transmit election results. He stressed the importance of making electronic transmission mandatory to prevent electoral fraud, noting that the BVAS machines in use are capable of capturing and sending results directly to the INEC portal.
However, Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s claim that nine states lack sufficient mobile network coverage to support e-transmission drew sharp criticism. The National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, called the assertion false, noting that if banks can operate electronically across the country, transmitting election results should also be possible. “Is it not shameful to compare us to India? India has more population, more landmarks than us, yet they can reveal the result of an election in one day. But we can’t cover our country with network,” Tanko said in a phone interview with Nigeria Info FM 99.3.
Actor-turned-politician Kenneth Okonkwo, chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), called for stricter measures, insisting that elections should be cancelled if results cannot be transmitted electronically from polling units. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Okonkwo emphasized that credible elections are the foundation of Nigeria’s development and warned that allowing manual result transmission undermines democracy. “The only problem we have in this country is fraudulent elections. On the day we have free and fair elections in Nigeria, 20 years after that, we would become a superpower nation,” he said.
The controversy follows the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill last week, which initially rejected a clause for real-time electronic transmission under Clause 60(3) but left INEC with discretion over result transmission methods. In response to public backlash and protests, the Senate reviewed its position, approving electronic transmission while removing the real-time requirement. In areas with poor internet connectivity, Form EC8A will remain the primary document for result collation. A committee has also been set up to reconcile differences between the Senate and House of Representatives versions of the bill.
The debate highlights ongoing concerns over election credibility in Nigeria, with citizens and civil society pushing for measures that ensure transparency, accountability, and broad access to democratic processes.