• Tinubu: Results should be determined by electoral officials, not computers
• Ezekwesili backs e-transmission; Igini flags security risk to INEC officials

Notwithstanding President Bola Tinubu’s signing of the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) into law yesterday, despite lingering debates on result transmission, Nigeria’s leading telecommunications operators have dismissed claims by some National Assembly members that the country lacks the infrastructure for real-time electronic transmission of election results.

Defending his decision to sign the amendment at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, President Tinubu said the credibility of elections depends more on proper management and human oversight than on real-time electronic transmission of results.

“It’s not as important as the historical aspects of this. What is crucial is the fact that you manage the process to the extent there will be no confusion, no disenfranchisement of Nigerians, and that we are all going to see democracy flourish,” he said, stressing that regardless of technological systems adopted, elections are ultimately managed and concluded by people.

Addressing debates over the transmission of election results, Tinubu said final results would not be determined by computers but by designated electoral officials. “And when you look at the crux of various arguments, maybe Nigerians should question our broadband capability. How technically are we today? How technically will we be tomorrow to answer the call of either real-time or not?”

But in a sharp contrast, the telcos insisted that the objections are based on half-truths rather than current industry data. Operators, including MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom and T2 Mobile, argued that Nigeria has sufficient network coverage to support the electronic transmission of polling unit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal (iREV) and collation centres ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The telcos, under the umbrella of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), challenged the Senate to rely on verified data from the industry regulator, which is the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), rather than making broad claims about inadequate infrastructure.
Gbenga Adebayo, ALTON’s chairman, said: “As we speak today, over 70 per cent of the country is covered by 3G and 4G networks, 5G has reached about 11 per cent coverage, while the remaining areas are on 2G. Even in reality, 2G is strong enough to transmit results electronically. We cannot accept a blanket ban on electronic transmission based on half-truths about our infrastructure and investments.”

He acknowledged that security challenges in parts of the country, particularly in about two states affected by insurgency, have limited operators’ ability to maintain facilities, but stressed that such issues should be addressed through stakeholder collaboration rather than used to justify a nationwide rejection of electronic transmission.

ALTON’s position aligns with that of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which had previously dismissed similar concerns ahead of the 2023 elections. INEC had maintained that where network challenges existed, results uploaded to iREV would transmit automatically once the device entered an area with coverage.

Of late, there have been serious arguments about the country’s readiness to deploy real-time electronic transmission of election results, especially as Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general elections. Real-time transmission of election results is widely viewed by civil society groups and voters as critical to improving transparency and public trust in the electoral process.

House of Reps defends decision

THE House of Representatives has, however, defended its decision to retain the provision allowing manual transmission of election results in certain circumstances, insisting that the move was taken in the best interest of Nigerians.
Deputy Spokesperson of the House, Philip Agbese, in an interview with journalists in Abuja, explained that while the House approved electronic transmission of Form EC8A results to the IReV portal as mandatory, it also retained the manual transmission option strictly as a safeguard against unforeseen technical challenges.

He stressed that the inclusion of the manual clause was not designed to undermine the integrity of the electoral process, but to ensure that elections are not stalled or invalidated in areas where technological infrastructure may fail. “The decision was made in the best interest of the country. It is about protecting the sanctity of votes and ensuring no community is disenfranchised due to technical hitches,” he said.

He described Tuesday’s walkout by some opposition lawmakers during consideration of the Electoral Amendment Bill 2026 as a recognised parliamentary practice and not a threat to the nation’s democratic process. According to him, walkouts are common in legislatures around the world and are often used to formally register dissent on issues of national importance, just as he assured Nigerians that robust debates, disagreements and even protests within the chamber are signs of a vibrant legislature, not a crisis.

Another lawmaker, Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, added that the decision by the National Assembly to soften the clause mandating real-time electronic transmission of election results was driven by deep concerns over the country’s weak digital infrastructure, security vulnerabilities, and the risk of widespread voter disenfranchisement.

Speaking on Eagle 102.5 FM’s current affairs programme, ‘Frontline’, on Wednesday, Isiaka said lawmakers were forced to reconsider their earlier hard-line position after intense negotiations and technical briefings during the conference committee harmonisation process between both chambers of the National Assembly.
The House of Representatives had, in December, passed amendments to the Electoral Act that made electronic transmission of results mandatory. However, the Senate rejected the clause, insisting on the retention of manual collation as a fallback option. This disagreement triggered a conference committee, whose report was adopted last week, effectively dropping the mandatory real-time transmission requirement.

According to the lawmaker who represents Yewa North/Imeko-Afon Federal Constituency of Ogun State, the reversal was not politically motivated, nor was it rushed, but rather informed by “superior arguments” rooted in Nigeria’s operational realities.

“With the way our country is structured, you cannot guarantee stable network coverage in all polling units. It will be dangerous to put the entire electoral process solely in the hands of technology. Where live transmission is not feasible, presiding officers must be allowed to adopt manual alternatives. That was the logic behind the position eventually adopted”, he said.

Igini flags security risk to INEC officials over resort to manual transmission

MEANWHILE, a former INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mike Igini, has raised the alarm over what he describes as dangerous implications of the recently approved electoral changes, warning that presiding officers could face serious threats at polling units.

Speaking on the development during an interview with Arise News yesterday, Igini said: “The danger of what has been passed is that we are bringing back what they call Incident Form. This is another version of the Incident Form because there will be no network.

“When we introduced the Card Reader, we decided to have an application for those who don’t have fingers. We were looking for an all-inclusive electoral process. But you know what happened? Politicians connived with INEC pool staff. That application for those who don’t have fingers was abused.

“You see, discretionary power can be abused. The danger of what is going to happen in 2027 is as follows. At the polling units, presiding officers’ lives are going to be in danger because where Nigerians are gathered, results of polling have been announced, everyone can look at their telephone and you could see the network. But the presiding officer says that there’s no network. You are going to put the life of that presiding officer in danger.

“Meanwhile, the children of all the political elites are not going to be at the polling unit. It’s the youth corps members that they’re going to be faced with. This is a clear danger. So what they are going to do now is like an Incident Form. Another version of the Incident Form, which is for you to sabotage the entire thing.”

Similarly, former Education Minister and civic advocate, Obiageli Ezekwesili, has reaffirmed her confidence in the electronic transmission of election results, describing it as a decisive tool for curbing rigging and restoring public trust in Nigeria’s electoral process.
Ezekwesili, who is also the founder of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance, said proper deployment of electronic transmission would make it virtually impossible to alter results or manipulate outcomes. She stressed that democracy ultimately belongs to citizens, not political office holders.

Ezekwesili argued that the e-transmission process is simple and has already been tested. Once voting ends, results are recorded on Form EC8A, signed by the presiding officer and party agents, and uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission Result Viewing Portal for public scrutiny.
She maintained that embedding electronic transmission in law would significantly reduce opportunities for result manipulation and curb electoral malpractice. Failure to do so, she warned, would leave excessive discretion in the system, eroding public confidence and perpetuating corruption and poor governance.

Sani: E-transmission of results alone can’t guarantee credible polls

BUT Shehu Sani, former senator representing Kaduna central, said making electronic transmission of election results mandatory will not, on its own, guarantee free and fair elections in Nigeria. Sani spoke on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television, in response to growing public outrage over the senate’s refusal to make real-time electronic transmission of results a mandatory component of the amended Electoral Act.

According to him, individuals determined to manipulate the process will always attempt to exploit loopholes, regardless of the system in place.

He added that focusing solely on technological solutions risks ignoring deeper structural and ethical challenges within the electoral framework. “If we are interested in election techniques, that does not mean that when we have an electronic transfer of results, there will be no manipulation. It all depends on what we want to do as a country with our electoral system,” Sani said.

He pointed to persistent voter inducement during elections as evidence that malpractice is rooted in human conduct rather than the mechanics of collation.

The former lawmaker, however, clarified that he supports electronic transmission of results but insisted that the law must provide room for manual collation where technical failures occur. “Election takes place in one day and it is expected that results will be transmitted the same day,” he said.

He also cautioned against imposing standards that may prove impractical, noting that even technologically advanced countries face challenges in achieving seamless nationwide electronic transmission of results.