Senate under fire over election results transmission ahead of 2027

•Uncertainty could erode trust, voter turnout — Nigerian Guild of Editors

•As Atiku, PDP fault mixed results transmission 

The Senate has come under mounting criticism over its handling of provisions on the transmission of election results, as debate intensifies ahead of the 2027 general elections. Media professionals, opposition figures and civil society groups have raised concerns that the legislature’s approach, particularly the failure to clearly mandate immediate electronic transmission from polling units, could undermine public trust in the electoral process and weaken confidence in the credibility of future polls.

According to the Nigerian Guild of Editors, the uncertainty created by the Senate’s adoption of provisions in the proposed 2022 Electoral Act, which permit the transmission of election results without making it mandatory and immediate, runs counter to the widely held views of many Nigerians and a significant number of lawmakers. The situation has triggered public anger, pitching citizens against the Senate and raising fears that voter participation could decline in future elections.

As Nigerians continue to demand mandatory and immediate transmission of results from polling units to central collation centres, and as countries around the world increasingly adopt electronic transmission as part of broader electoral reforms to improve transparency, the Senate’s position has drawn sharp criticism. Observers argue that the approach falls short of public expectations and international best practice.

The editors describe the stance as a missed opportunity to strengthen transparency and accountability within Nigeria’s electoral system, adding that it weakens ongoing efforts to deepen democratic governance and guarantee credible elections. Globally, mandatory electronic transmission of results has become a recognised benchmark for enhancing electoral credibility and operational efficiency, a standard many believe Nigeria should embrace.

Following the Senate’s latest deliberations and the constitution of a joint conference committee with the House of Representatives, attention has shifted to the harmonisation stage of the Electoral Act amendment process. Stakeholders say the National Assembly still carries a significant responsibility to strengthen electoral safeguards by ensuring that the final provisions clearly support mandatory and immediate transmission of election results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s central server and collation centres. Such clarity, they argue, would reinforce electoral integrity and help restore public confidence ahead of the 2027 polls.

Such a decision, the editors argue, would lay a firm foundation for free and fair elections while helping to consolidate democratic gains. The digitalisation of elections, anchored on real-time transmission of results, is widely seen as a means to improve transparency, efficiency and accuracy, while boosting voter confidence. It would also simplify result management, reduce disputes, limit controversies and significantly curb electoral fraud.

Electoral reforms combined with digital innovation, they note, are essential to strengthening democratic processes and rebuilding public trust. Making the transmission of results both mandatory and immediate is therefore viewed as central to delivering credible elections.

Nigerians, the editors add, are closely monitoring the National Assembly’s actions. There is a clear expectation that the harmonised provisions agreed by the Senate and the House of Representatives will make the transmission of election results from polling units to INEC central servers and collation centres compulsory and instantaneous. Any outcome short of this, they warn, would place Nigeria out of step with progressive and contemporary electoral practices, while mandatory and immediate transmission would reassure voters that their ballots genuinely count.

...As Atiku faults mixed results transmission

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has also criticised the use of a mixed system of electronic and manual transmission of election results, describing it as flawed and potentially harmful to Nigeria’s electoral process.

Speaking to journalists after a visit to former military president, retired General Ibrahim Babangida, in Minna on Tuesday, Atiku said the combination posed a possible threat to the integrity of elections. He noted that many Nigerians had expected a fully electronic transmission of results at all levels.

According to him, a hybrid system risks undermining electoral integrity and creating unnecessary confusion during collation. He said Nigerians anticipated electronic transmission across all stages of the process, adding that the current mixture of electronic and manual methods could generate confusion and jeopardise the transmission framework.

Atiku maintained that real-time electronic transmission remains the most reliable option for delivering credible elections in the country.

Meanwhile, the Senate has constituted a 12-member Electoral Act Conference Committee to harmonise differences in the proposed amendments to the Electoral Act. The committee is expected to engage with its counterpart in the House of Representatives to reconcile discrepancies in the amendment bill and produce a unified version for final legislative approval.

The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, announced the composition of the committee on Tuesday during an emergency plenary session. Its mandate includes reviewing areas of divergence between the versions passed by both chambers of the National Assembly and resolving contentious clauses before submitting a harmonised document for adoption.

Atiku also appealed to opposition political parties to close ranks and jointly pursue electoral reforms, particularly on electronic transmission of results. He said there was a need for opposition parties to work together and resist attempts to stall reforms, stressing that he did not support allowing the issue to be sidelined.

He clarified that his visit to Babangida was purely a customary gesture of respect to a statesman and dismissed speculation about his political ambitions ahead of the 2027 general elections. According to him, the question of contesting the next election had not arisen.

The former vice president disclosed that his party, the African Democratic Congress, is currently focused on strengthening its structures nationwide. He said the party is working to entrench its organisational framework from the ward and local government levels through to the states and the national headquarters.

“We are busy mobilising people and registering them at the same time,” he said, adding that the ADC constitution does not provide for the zoning of political offices.