The Electoral College of Nigeria has expressed concern over the Senate’s refusal to enshrine automatic electronic transmission of election results in the Electoral Act, describing the stance as a major setback to ongoing democratic reforms.
In a statement, the organisation’s Executive Director, Kunle Lawal, said the failure to mandate electronic transmission weakens electoral transparency and erodes public trust in the democratic process.
Lawal noted that electronic transmission of results is neither new nor extreme, but a globally recognised mechanism aimed at safeguarding the integrity of elections. According to him, its greatest strength lies in minimising human interference between polling units and collation centres, which he described as the most vulnerable stage of Nigeria’s electoral process.
He referenced recurring electoral irregularities such as ballot stuffing, alteration of results, disappearance of result sheets, and intimidation at collation centres, arguing that these challenges underscore the need for real-time electronic transmission to ensure a credible and verifiable digital record of votes cast.
While acknowledging that manual collation is not inherently fraudulent, Lawal warned that it creates opportunities for manipulation and fuels prolonged post-election disputes. He added that Nigeria has repeatedly witnessed situations where results announced at collation centres sharply contradict figures recorded at polling units, with complaints from citizens, party agents, and even electoral officials often lost in procedural bottlenecks.
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