Nigerian Activist Warns Electoral Amendment Creates Vulnerabilities
A prominent Nigerian activist has warned that recent amendments to electoral law could undermine the integrity of future elections, arguing the changes introduce avenues for result manipulation.
The warning from Mahdi Shehu follows an emergency Senate session that reversed an earlier stance on the electronic transmission of election results. The amended Electoral Act now permits real-time electronic transmission of results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Results Viewing Portal (IReV). However, it includes a critical contingency: if electronic transmission fails due to network issues, the manual collation using Form EC8A will become the primary method.
Shehu characterised the amendment as deceptive, outlining three specific concerns. First, he noted that the provision for manual transmission during network failure creates an exploitable loophole. Second, he argued that federal control over communication and satellite agencies could allow for deliberate network disruptions, forcing officials into manual processes. “That means rigging unlimited,” he stated. Third, he highlighted a requirement for all election officials, including security personnel, to sign result sheets before electronic transmission. Shehu suggested security commanders could instruct their personnel to withdraw from polling units before counting concludes, making their signatures unavailable and forcing a manual collation.
He described the Senate’s emergency meeting and the subsequent amendment as “an insult to the collective intelligence of Nigerians,” urging citizens to remain vigilant against what he termed the schemes of “dangerous smart alecs.”
The debate centres on lessons from the 2023 general elections, where INEC initially attempted real-time transmission but faced technical glitches, leading to widespread manual collation and delayed results. Proponents of the amendment argue it provides a necessary legal fallback to prevent total logistical failure. Critics contend it legally sanctions the very manual processes that historically facilitated result tampering.
The changes heighten tensions over Nigeria’s electoral framework ahead of the 2027 general election cycle. The central conflict remains whether the new law ensures resilient transmission or codifies a manual alternative that can be weaponised to subvert the electronic process.
