Controversy as Senate Rejects Mandatory Electronic Transmission of Election Results

The Nigerian Senate has rejected a proposed amendment to the Electoral Amendment Bill that would have made the electronic transmission of election results compulsory.

The clause would have required presiding officers to transmit results electronically and in real-time from polling units to the INEC Results Viewing (IReV) portal. Instead, lawmakers retained the existing provision in the Electoral Act, which states that results should be transferred “in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.” The decision comes amid ongoing delays in passing the amended Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Key Points:

Retaining manual transmission processes may affect the speed, transparency, and credibility of result collation.
The decision could influence public trust in electoral integrity and perceptions of political willingness to adopt reforms.
It may leave INEC with discretionary power over transmission methods, potentially creating inconsistencies.
The rejection underscores legislative caution, or resistance to technological adoption in Nigeria’s electoral system.
This could impact civil society and international observer assessments of Nigeria’s electoral progress.

The Senate’s choice maintains the status quo, highlighting continued debates over technology, transparency, and trust in Nigeria’s elections.

Sources: Vanguard, The Guardian