Our Reporter, Abuja
Major opposition parties in Nigeria have strongly criticised the Senate over its rejection of a clause mandating real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, describing the decision as a threat to electoral transparency and democratic credibility.
In a joint statement on Thursday, signed by Comrade Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP; Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the ADC; and Bamofin Ladipo Johnson, National Publicity Secretary of the NNPP, the opposition parties said the Senate’s action had raised “serious national concern,” insisting that it marked “a clear and dangerous setback for electoral transparency and the credibility of our democratic process.”
The parties argued that by declining to make electronic transmission mandatory, the Senate had retained the discretion of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on result transmission, a discretion they claimed had been abused in the past.
“By refusing to make real-time electronic transmission mandatory, the Senate has effectively preserved the discretion of INEC on how results are transmitted — a discretion that has repeatedly been exploited to compromise election integrity,” the statement said.
The opposition parties also accused political actors of double standards, noting that those who promote digital innovation in governance were resisting similar reforms in the electoral process.
“We find it deeply ironic and unacceptable that the same political forces championing digital innovation and electronic systems in their internal party affairs and government operations are vehemently opposed to making electronic transmission compulsory for election results,” they said.
According to the parties, the decision has heightened public suspicion that the move was aimed at retaining opportunities for manipulation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“This double standard only reinforces public suspicion that the motive is to retain avenues for electoral manipulation ahead of the 2027 general elections,” the statement added.
The parties recalled past legal disputes and judicial pronouncements which, they said, had exposed weaknesses in the current electoral framework, especially in result transmission and collation.
“Rather than close these gaps and build greater public confidence, the Senate has chosen to widen them,” they said.
They noted that the disagreement between the Senate and the House of Representatives had stalled the reform process, adding that attention had now shifted to the Conference Committee.
“The ball is now in the court of the Conference Committee tasked with reconciling the differences between the Senate and House of Representatives versions of the bill,” the parties stated.
They urged the committee to adopt the House of Representatives’ position in support of mandatory electronic transmission, warning that failure to do so would further damage public trust.
“Failure to do so will further erode public trust in the democratic process and send a clear signal that powerful interests are determined to keep Nigeria’s elections vulnerable to manipulation,” the statement warned.
The parties also called on Nigerians, civil society organisations, the media and the international community to remain alert, stressing that “democracy is too precious to be sacrificed on the altar of political expediency.”
