The Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) condemns, in the strongest terms, the Senate’s decision to reject the provision for real-time electronic transmission of election results in the Electoral Amendment Bill.
On Wednesday, the Senate voted to retain the ambiguous provision in Clause 60 of the 2022 Electoral Act, which leaves the mode of result transmission entirely at the discretion of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This decision is nothing short of a deliberate step backward, one that undermines the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process at a time when transparency is desperately needed.
CHRICED is not surprised. A National Assembly that has consistently acted as a rubber stamp for the presidency could hardly be expected to champion reforms that empower citizens.
By rejecting real-time electronic transmission, the Senate has signalled that the 2027 elections are already being tilted against the Nigerian people.
Across the world, democracies are embracing technology to safeguard electoral integrity.
Brazil, India, the United States, and several European nations rely on electronic systems that ensure rapid, transparent, and tamper-resistant transmission of results.
On our own continent, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa have adopted electronic mechanisms that strengthen public trust and reduce manipulation.
Yet Nigeria. Africa’s largest population, has chosen to move in the opposite direction.
Instead of modernizing, our lawmakers have opted to preserve a system that thrives on opacity.
By rejecting real-time transmission, the Senate has entrenched a manual collation process notorious for delays, interference, and manipulation.
Nigerians know too well that election rigging rarely happens at the polling unit; it happens in the shadows of collation centres.
A process that allows multiple layers of human handling invites suspicion and erodes confidence in outcomes.
The excuses offered, poor network coverage, cybersecurity concerns, rural connectivity. are tired, unconvincing, and insulting to the intelligence of Nigerians.
If digital banking, mobile money, and telecommunications platforms can process billions of naira in real time across the country, then uploading election results is not a technological impossibility. It is a political choice.
This decision exposes a deeper truth: those who benefit from the current system are determined to preserve it.
The biggest losers are young Nigerians, first-time voters, opposition parties, and civil society groups who have fought tirelessly for credible elections.
The beneficiaries are entrenched political interests, state-level power brokers, and collation “gatekeepers” who thrive in darkness and fear transparency.
Nigeria now stands at a dangerous crossroads. A democracy cannot survive when citizens no longer trust the process that produces their leaders.
By rejecting real-time transmission, the Senate has widened the trust deficit, encouraged voter apathy, and increased the likelihood of post-election disputes. In fragile democracies, perception alone can ignite instability.
Nigerians must not remain silent. This is not the time for resignation or despair. It is the time for lawful, peaceful, and sustained civic pressure.
Youth movements, labour unions, professional bodies, religious institutions, community leaders, and all defenders of democracy must demand that the National Assembly reverse this regressive decision.
Public engagement, legislative advocacy, civic education, media mobilisation, and pressure on INEC are essential. Electoral integrity is not a privilege granted by politicians, it is a right that citizens must defend.
Nigeria’s democratic future depends on transparency, accountability, and the unambiguous reflection of the people’s will. Any reform that weakens public confidence is a threat to national stability.
CHRICED therefore calls for renewed commitment to electoral transparency and urges all democratic stakeholders to place the national interest above partisan calculations. Nigeria deserves elections that reflect the true voice of its people—not the preferences of political elites.
