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By Goli Innocent
Electoral College Nigeria has criticised the senate’s decision to reject the automatic, real-time electronic transmission of election results, warning that the move could further weaken public trust in Nigeria’s electoral process and discourage voter participation.
The Senate on Wednesday voted against proposals seeking to mandate real-time transmission of results and impose a 10-year ban on vote buying, opting instead to retain existing penalties of fines or jail terms under the Electoral Act.
In a statement signed by its executive director, Kunle Lawal, the organisation described the decision as a setback for democratic consolidation, arguing that it runs counter to growing public demands for transparency, credibility and accountability in elections.
Lawal said resistance to electronic transmission undermines efforts to rebuild confidence in the voting process, particularly at a time when voter turnout has remained persistently low and electoral outcomes are frequently contested.
“Automatic result transmission is a globally recognised safeguard designed to protect the integrity of the vote and reduce human interference between polling units and collation centres,” the statement said.
“By securely transmitting results in real time to a central server, it creates a verifiable digital trail that strengthens accountability.”
The body noted that recurring challenges, including ballot stuffing, alteration of results, disappearance of result sheets, intimidation at collation centres and deliberate delays during collation have marked Nigeria’s electoral history.
According to the college, rejecting real-time transmission entrenches manual collation — a process it said has repeatedly proven vulnerable to manipulation.
It added that discrepancies between results recorded at polling units and figures announced at collation centres have often triggered disputes, prolonged court battles, and eroded public confidence.
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While acknowledging concerns around infrastructure, network connectivity and cost, Electoral College Nigeria said such challenges should not justify abandoning electronic transmission altogether.
“If technology can be trusted to determine who votes through biometric accreditation, it should also be trusted to protect how those votes are counted,” Lawal said.
The organisation pointed to hybrid models used in other countries, where results are captured electronically at polling units and transmitted later when connectivity is available, as evidence that technical limitations can be addressed without sacrificing transparency.
It also rejected arguments that result transmission should be left entirely to the discretion of the electoral management body, warning that discretion without clear legal backing weakens accountability and opens the door to selective application.
According to the group, the refusal to mandate automatic transmission risks deepening voter apathy, particularly among young Nigerians, and could further depress turnout while raising legitimacy concerns around election outcomes.
The organisation warned that disputed results have historically fuelled post-election violence and unrest, arguing that transparent and verifiable transmission of results would help reduce tensions and strengthen electoral peace.
“Automatic result transmission is not about favouring any political party or candidate,” the statement said. “It is about strengthening institutions and ensuring that the will of the people is protected.”
Electoral College Nigeria called on lawmakers and other stakeholders to reconsider the decision, stressing that electoral integrity should be treated as a national issue rather than a partisan one.
“Protecting the vote is the foundation of accountable governance, social cohesion and national progress,” Lawal said.
