Nigeria’s major opposition parties have strongly criticised the Senate for rejecting a clause that would mandate the electronic transmission of election results, a move they warn could undermine the integrity of future polls.
The Senate, on Wednesday, voted against an amendment to Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Amendment Bill. The proposed change would have required the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit results in real-time during elections. Instead, the upper chamber passed a version granting INEC discretionary power to decide on the method of transmission. The bill now proceeds to the House of Representatives for consideration.
In a joint statement, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Senate of protecting “loopholes” to facilitate electoral manipulation. The parties described the decision as “anti-people and anti-democratic,” suggesting it was a pre-emptive action by a governing party anxious about its electoral prospects.
“With this retrogressive act, we are concerned that the APC-led Senate may have set Nigeria’s democracy back by many decades,” the statement read. The opposition highlighted an inconsistency, noting that the APC government employs technology for its own e-registration of members while opposing its use for result transmission.
The debate centres on a long-standing push for technological reforms to enhance transparency in Nigeria’s elections. Proponents argue mandatory electronic transmission would reduce opportunities for result tampering and hasten declaration of winners. Critics have raised concerns about infrastructure reliability and security, though INEC has previously demonstrated electronic transmission capabilities in limited contexts.
This legislative development follows contentious elections in 2023, where delays and technical glitches in the public release of results fueled public distrust. The Senate’s stance is viewed by analysts as a significant setback for electoral reformers and intensifies the political tensions ahead of the 2027 general election cycle.
The opposition parties’ unified condemnation signals a potential new front in the battle over Nigeria’s electoral laws. As the bill moves to the House, the fate of mandatory electronic transmission now hinges on further legislative negotiations and the eventual assent from the President. The outcome is poised to be a defining issue for Nigeria’s democratic consolidation, with civil society and international observers likely to scrutinise the process closely.
