Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain Atiku Abubakar has publicly condemned the Nigerian Senate’s rejection of a proposed mandate for real-time electronic transmission of election results, describing the decision as a “deliberate assault on electoral transparency” and a serious setback for Nigeria’s democratic process. His remarks followed the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026, in which lawmakers voted against a specific clause that would have required presiding officers to upload polling unit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time. Atiku said that rejecting this amendment — while retaining the Electoral Act’s existing language that permits transmission “in a manner as prescribed by the Commission” — undermines transparency, credibility and public trust in the electoral system and appears to favour incumbents ahead of the 2027 general elections. He emphasised that real-time electronic transmission is not a partisan demand but a democratic safeguard to reduce interference and result manipulation. Atiku urged greater commitment to electoral reforms that align Nigeria’s system with global democratic expectations.
Reports also note that Senate President Godswill Akpabio clarified that the chamber did not entirely reject electronic transmission of election results, asserting that the existing framework allowing electronic submission remains in the law. This clarification followed widespread interpretations that the Senate had opposed compulsory real-time uploads, leading to public debate and criticism from opposition figures and civil society groups seeking clearer legal backing for such reforms.
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