Pressure mounted yesterday on the National Assembly ahead of today’s planned harmonisation of the Electoral Act amendment bill, as protests, legal warnings and deep divisions among experts intensified the debate over mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, activist Ms 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 (INEC) Result Viewing (IReV) portal. The protesters were prevented from entering the complex by security operatives, but insisted that lawmakers must retain provisions mandating real-time transmission in the amended law.
The protest came as the Senate prepared to meet in conference with the House of Representatives to reconcile differences in their versions of the Electoral Act amendment, particularly on whether electronic transmission of results should be mandatory or left to the discretion of the electoral commission. While the House endorsed real-time transmission provisions, the Senate version adopted conditional transmission, triggering widespread public criticism.
Civil society groups, legal practitioners, professional bodies and election observers 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, the feasibility of implementing real-time electronic transmission before the 2027 polls has sharply divided analysts and election administrators, with some insisting that INEC possesses the technical capacity to deploy the system nationwide, while others argued that inadequate infrastructure, legal limitations and funding constraints could make mandatory implementation impracticable within the available timeline.
A former Resident Electoral Commissioner for Enugu State, Dr Emeka Ononamadu, declared that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) possesses the capacity to transmit election results electronically, urging lawmakers to embed mandatory electronic transmission in the Electoral Act.
Ononamadu expressed surprise at what he described as the Senate’s ambivalent stance on the issue, blaming the Supreme Court’s earlier judgment for creating the legal uncertainty that allowed politicians to question the regulatory framework introduced by INEC. “I was shocked that in the 21st century, some 21st century senators were saying no to mandatory transmission,” he said, adding that the court’s ruling that transmission through the IReV portal lacked constitutional backing had “put us in this mess.”
According to him, INEC’s regulations derive authority from the Electoral Act, which empowers the commission to issue operational guidelines, including the directive used during the 2023 elections requiring results to be uploaded to the IReV portal. While acknowledging that electronic transmission alone cannot eliminate vote buying or other forms of malpractice, he argued that uploading results directly from polling units enhances transparency because “between the polling unit and collation centres, figures cannot change.”
The former REC maintained that the country’s communication infrastructure is sufficient to support electronic transmission, noting that network coverage of varying strengths already exists across most parts of Nigeria. He also pointed to the successful nationwide deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which is used for voter accreditation at polling units, as evidence that the same locations can support result uploads.
Drawing from his experience in the commission, Ononamadu said INEC conducts extensive mapping and technical assessments before deploying electoral technologies and maintains one of the largest election databases in Africa. He therefore argued that the continuing resistance to mandatory electronic transmission reflects political and institutional challenges rather than technological limitations, insisting that strengthening transparency measures is essential to improving public confidence in elections.
But, contrary to the REC’s conclusions, the spokesman to the immediate past INEC National Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, Mr Lawrence Oyekanmi, doubted the feasibility of real-time transmission of results in the 2027 polls.
Oyekanmi said Nigerians were still confusing the seamless display of polling unit (PU) results with real-time transmission of election results, pointing out that electronic transmission of results would not be feasible for the 2027 general election.
“Without any prompting, and in its desire to ensure free, fair and credible elections, INEC introduced the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal in August 2020. It was first deployed during the Nasarawa Central State Constituency by-election on August 8, 2020.
“However, the Commission made it clear that IReV is not an electronic result collation platform. What this means is that IReV is only meant to display polling unit results, captured on Form EC8A.
“I think Nigerians are confusing the seamless display of PU results with real-time transmission of results. The latter is tied to electronic voting and electronic collation of results, both of which INEC cannot implement at the moment for two reasons. First, existing laws do not recognise or permit electronic voting. Second, the infrastructure required for electronic voting has not been integrated into Nigeria’s electoral system and cannot be put in place before the 2027 general election.”
Oyekanmi explained that what INEC currently has is the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which performs three functions: voter registration, voter accreditation on election day, and uploading polling unit results to the IReV portal. He stressed that, in its present form, BVAS cannot be used for electronic voting.
He noted that what many Nigerians fear is a repeat of the IReV glitches recorded during the 2023 general election, which fuelled widespread conspiracy theories.
“What I would suggest is that the Senate should retain the existing provisions on result transmission as contained in the 2022 Electoral Act. Introducing terms such as ‘mandatory’ and ‘real-time’ electronic transmission of results will not be practicable for the 2027 general election, as it would require electronic voting and electronic collation of results,” he said.
Obi, civil society groups protest at N’Assembly over real-time result transmission
Meanwhile, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, activist Ms Aisha Yesufu and members of the Coalition of Civil Societies Situation Room, alongside other citizens’ groups, yesterday staged a protest at the entrance of the National Assembly, demanding mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results.
The protesters called for election results to be transmitted directly to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing (IReV) portal rather than routed through collation centres.
Obi and other civil society leaders attempted to gain access to the National Assembly complex but were prevented by armed police officers, who said they had been directed not to allow anyone into the premises.
Addressing journalists at the scene, Obi said the protesters chose to remain peaceful despite being denied entry.
“Police said we cannot enter. As law-abiding citizens, we are not part of rascality. We decided to obey that law, but we have conveyed our message to those who are supposed to know,” he said.
“That message is clear: let us have a transparent election process. We are not asking for much; it is something simple. It is for their own future and for the future of their children.
“Today, there are senators and people in power, but we are talking about what we will endure for the future of the country. We need this country, we need unity, we need peace.”