Real-time transmission of polling-unit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (iREV) has emerged as one of the most contentious issues before legislators as the harmonization panel meets on Tuesday. It is being championed by the civil society and opposition politicians as a means to instill integrity into Nigeria’s electoral process.
Under the revised clause by the Senate, presiding officers would upload results electronically, but the manual Form EC8A could become the primary source if transmission fails due to technology challenges. The Senate President Godswill Akpabio said lawmakers did not reject electronic transmission, but sought flexibility to avoid legal disputes in areas with poor connectivity.
“The Senate has not removed any means of transmission… we only removed the phrase ‘real-time’,” Akpabio was reported as saying.
Weighing in on the topical issue, a former REC, Mike Igini highlighted that the decision facing lawmakers could shape both the credibility of future elections and their own political survival ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement issued yesterday, he contended that loopholes allowing result alteration during manual collation had historically worked against sitting lawmakers who lost party backing.
For the political scientists, they posited that while being fully in support of the prospects of transmitting election results in real time, they are concerned about the broader issues of politicians’ desperation and the commitment needed to ensure seamless adoption to achieve electoral integrity in Nigeria.
While stating that the trouble with Nigeria’s elections is not limited to the mode of result transmission, the political scientists expressed concerns over the Senate’s decision to allow manual and electronic modes to coexist under the law.
“Based on our experience, the technological infrastructure may not work, giving the option to switch to manual mode, which is preferred by the majority of Nigerian politicians, ostensibly because of the electoral advantages it confers. The country’s politicians are a desperate lot who do not care a hoot about their electoral engagement methods.
“Herein lies our reduced optimism about this amendment passed by the Senate, which may be deemed progressive by all standards, given where the nation is coming from in the conduct of elections.
Let there be no mistake about it: we are fully in support of the prospects of transmitting election results in real time, but we are also concerned about the wider issues and the necessary commitment to ensure seamless adoption to achieve electoral integrity in Nigeria.
“All Nigerians must rise to clean up the electoral process and usher in the much-desired regime of electoral transparency,” Saliu’s statement read in part.
NPSA admitted that the point of transmission of results from the polling unit is the most visible level where election manipulations mostly occur and can be proven, but stressed that this critical
last stage does not address the other issues in the chain of electoral conduct observed in the nation’s elections.
“There are others that the settled mode of transmission cannot address. We have in mind the uneven and untimely distribution of election materials, the late arrival of materials and officials, intimidation of voters, open monetary bribery, alteration of election results, and others, even in the face of the law frowning at them.
“Moreover, we can add the shenanigans that come with party primaries in Nigeria. All these electoral ‘evils’ can make a nonsense of the commendable decision on transmission of election results, which comes last in the chain of electoral duties and participation,” It stated.
According to Igini, in the past, many candidates who were denied party tickets contested on alternative platforms, but were defeated despite strong grassroots support because polling unit results could allegedly be altered at collation stages.
The former resident electoral commissioner maintained that mandatory real-time transmission would make results publicly verifiable and deter tampering.
He dismissed arguments that network coverage made real-time uploads unrealistic, citing a joint survey carried out by INEC and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which reportedly showed over 97 per cent network coverage nationwide before the 2023 elections.
Igini pointed out that the electoral umpire had successfully transmitted results in more than 100 off-cycle elections, including several governorship contests, describing claims of technological impossibility as “excuses.”
“The BVAS device is engineered for both online and offline functionality; network concerns are largely excuses,” he stressed, while urging the federal lawmakers to restore clear provisions for direct real-time uploads, warning that failure to do so could weaken democratic accountability.
Also intervening, a former Zamfara REC, Asmau Maikudi, admitted that e-transmission is feasible and achievable, and is in line with global best practices.
His words, “What we need is just commitment and dedication to anything, and it will be done successfully.
“NASS should include e- transmission in the electoral amendment to make our elections more accessible and transparent to the electorate.”
Also speaking, ex-INEC Federal Commissioner, Prof. Lai Olurode, warned against over-reliance on machines to conduct elections, saying it may trigger crises.
Olurode said relying solely on electronic transmission of results would create suspense if the system malfunctions, which might eventually trigger crises.
The ex-INEC chief, who suggested a combination of the electronic and manual transmission of results, added that third-world countries are often sceptical about the use of technology mainly to conduct their elections due to the high possibility of failure.
“Like any technology, the human heart can fail at any time. In the same way, we see technology. So, I think we should not trigger a crisis in Nigeria because the best way to create a crisis is to keep people in suspense.
“Sometimes, you will send a message to somebody, and he will not see it until the third or the fourth day. So, I don’t think we lose anything by insisting that, of course, e-transmission is the goal, is the way to look at our elections, but don’t be too dependent on technology, especially in your elections.
“Don’t completely remove the element of human agency. What you are trying to run away from is that you don’t trust human beings, don’t trust machines as much as that.
Sometimes you wake up, you send a messag,e and it bounces back at you. What do you do? You look for another person to send it.’’
On the way forward, he said, “So why not a combination of the two? Instead of saying that, if you insist on real-time alone and it fails, the country is going to be in chaos. That’s just the way I look at it.
