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Nigerian singer and activist Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, has called for the real-time electronic transmission of election results, insisting that such a measure is essential to guaranteeing free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News, Falz said there was no reason election results could not be transmitted electronically as they are collated, noting that the existing legal framework still allows exceptions where network challenges occur.
“To be honest with you, I think what would have been great to see was the live electronic transmission of results. There was legislation on that, and I remember when that was ongoing, there was a lot of debate about that back and forth. What was eventually allowed in there was a law that still has a caveat, save for instances where there are network issues, he said.
“But I think if we really are serious about delivering free and fair elections, I see no reason why that didn’t go through, for example. I see no reason why we can’t transmit results in real time as they’re happening,” he added.
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The entertainer also questioned the huge sums budgeted for elections, arguing that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be able to address basic logistical and technological challenges with the resources at its disposal.
“With the budget INEC is using to run these elections, it’s in trillions. It’s in trillions! I remember the 2023 elections, when they happened, there was a lot of uproar—over 300 billion being used for the elections. Now it’s in trillions. I don’t know what that money is going into if we can’t make sure that every single thing is on point. If we can’t make sure that something as little as internet connectivity is solved, that would be my own two cents,” he said.
Falz has consistently advocated electoral reforms and improved governance, maintaining that strengthening transparency in the voting process is vital to restoring public confidence in Nigeria’s democracy.
