Pressure mounted on the National Assembly on Monday ahead of today’s planned harmonisation of the Electoral Act amendment bill, as protests, legal warnings and sharp disagreements among experts escalated the debate over mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, activist Aisha Yesufu and several civil society organisations staged a protest at the entrance of the National Assembly, demanding that election results be transmitted directly from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV). Security operatives prevented the protesters from entering the complex, but they insisted lawmakers must retain provisions mandating real-time transmission in the amended law.
The protest coincided with preparations by the Senate and the House of Representatives to meet in a conference committee to reconcile differences in their versions of the Electoral Act amendment. While the House version supports mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results, the Senate adopted a conditional approach, drawing widespread criticism from civil society groups, lawyers and election observers.
Several stakeholders warned that ambiguity in the law could undermine electoral credibility and fuel post-election disputes, urging lawmakers to adopt clear and enforceable provisions that guarantee transparent transmission of results.
However, experts remain divided over the feasibility of implementing real-time electronic transmission nationwide before the 2027 polls. Some analysts insist INEC has the technical capacity to deploy the system, while others argue that infrastructure gaps, legal constraints and funding challenges make mandatory implementation impracticable within the available timeframe.
A former Resident Electoral Commissioner in Enugu State, Dr Emeka Ononamadu, said INEC possesses the capacity to transmit election results electronically and urged lawmakers to embed mandatory electronic transmission in the Electoral Act. He blamed legal uncertainty created by previous Supreme Court judgments for the controversy, noting that INEC’s regulations are derived from the Electoral Act.
According to Ononamadu, electronic transmission enhances transparency by preventing manipulation of results between polling units and collation centres. He also cited the successful nationwide deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) as evidence that polling units can support electronic uploads.
But a former spokesperson to INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, Mr Lawrence Oyekanmi, disagreed, arguing that real-time electronic transmission of results would not be feasible for the 2027 elections. He said Nigerians were confusing the public display of polling unit results on IReV with full electronic transmission and collation of results.
Oyekanmi explained that while BVAS allows for voter accreditation and uploading of polling unit results for public viewing, it does not support electronic voting or electronic collation, which are not recognised under existing laws and cannot be implemented before 2027.
He advised the Senate to retain the provisions on result transmission contained in the 2022 Electoral Act, warning that introducing mandatory real-time transmission could create implementation challenges.
Meanwhile, addressing journalists at the protest ground, Obi said the demonstrators remained peaceful despite being denied access to the National Assembly.
“We are asking for a transparent election process. This is about the future of Nigeria and the future of our children,” he said.
Civil society leaders warned that any attempt to dilute the bill could provoke further protests. The Nigerian Guild of Editors also raised concerns, warning that the Senate’s position could erode public trust and discourage voter participation.
In a statement signed by its leadership, the Guild urged the National Assembly to adopt mandatory and immediate transmission of election results, describing it as a global best practice for enhancing transparency and credibility.
Prominent lawyers, including former Nigerian Bar Association President Olisa Agbakoba and human rights lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), also called on lawmakers to enshrine electronic transmission in the Electoral Act. They warned that continued legal ambiguity could undermine elections and prolong post-election litigation.
As the National Assembly reconvenes today to harmonise the bill, stakeholders insist that mandatory and immediate electronic transmission of results is critical to restoring public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 elections.
