₦airaland Forum

Only 474 LGAs Have Banks; 77% of Rural Communities Lack Internet access and no country in world transmit election results live— PeacePro

*PeacePro's Position on Mandatory Live Electronic Transmission of Election Results in Nigeria*

The Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) acknowledges the ongoing national debate concerning the mandatory live electronic transmission of election results in Nigeria.

While the ambition to strengthen electoral integrity through digital technology is commendable, it is critical that any legislative framework be grounded in the realities of Nigeria’s current digital and infrastructural landscape.

1. Current State of Financial and Internet Infrastructure

Data from the Association of Mobile Money and Bank Agents in Nigeria (AMMBAN) indicates that approximately 300 out of Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) do not have any commercial bank branch. Conversely, about 474 LGAs do have at least one commercial bank branch presence.

This underscores that even basic financial infrastructure is unevenly distributed across the country, particularly disadvantaging rural LGAs.

Similarly, government planning data from the National Development Plan 2021–2025 shows that as of 2023, about 473 LGAs had internet access, meaning approximately 301 LGAs still lack reliable internet connectivity, which is essential for supporting formal digital services such as electronic result transmission.

The urban-rural digital divide further compounds this challenge: only 23% of rural communities have internet access, compared to 57% in urban areas.

This reality is reflected in overall national internet usage, which stood at roughly 36% of the population in 2024.

Initiatives like Project 774 LG Connectivity, aimed at expanding internet service to all LGA secretariats through satellite and broadband infrastructure, are ongoing but not yet completed.

2. Legal Mandate Must Reflect Reality

Even though approximately 301 LGAs have weak or no internet access, it does not imply that all polling units in those LGAs are offline.

Importantly, electronic transmission does not need to rely exclusively on live mobile data from every polling unit. A law can mandate electronic transmission with design features that ensure functionality even in low-connectivity areas, including Fallback options, Offline to online syncing, Satellite support and Staged transmission from Polling Unit to Ward to LGA and to State.

The central issue is not whether the law exists, but whether its design is implementable given Nigeria’s infrastructural realities. A law stating that:
“Every polling unit must transmit results electronically immediately”
…without accommodating connectivity gaps would inevitably produce delays, loopholes, legal disputes, and opportunities for manipulation.

3. Recommended Design for a Workable Legal Framework

PeacePro advocates that any law mandating electronic transmission of election results should include practical provisions such as Mandatory Electronic Upload Within a Defined Time Window, for example, results must be uploaded within 2–6 hours after collation, rather than “immediately,” to allow for offline capture and connectivity issues.

Mandatory BVAS/IREV-Style Upload, Results should be uploaded as scanned result sheets and figures to ensure verification and transparency.

Offline Capture Allowed, Devices must securely store results when offline and automatically upload once connectivity is available.

Fallback Transmission Channels, Use satellite hotspots at ward/LGA collation centers.

Deploy dedicated NCC supported election connectivity where possible.

Criminal Penalties For refusal to upload, deliberate device disabling, or tampering, to enforce compliance.

4. International Experience

Globally, mandatory live electronic transmission from every polling unit is extremely rare, if not totally none existence.

Kenya mandates electronic transmission from polling stations, but implementation has faced disputes due to network issues. Philippines uses Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines to electronically transmit results after counting.
Brazil and Estonia have highly digitized reporting, but results are not streamed live from every polling unit.

No country has successfully implemented instant live transmission from every polling unit without exceptions, underscoring that ambitious legal mandates must account for infrastructural limitations.

5. PeacePro Position

Based on all credible data, PeacePro asserts that, any proposal for mandatory live electronic transmission must reflect Nigeria’s infrastructural reality, including internet and financial access disparities.

Laws must be practically implementable, with provisions for offline capture, fallback channels, and time bound uploads.

Failure to account for these realities would create legal, operational, and electoral risks.

PeacePro supports secure, transparent, and digitally enhanced elections, but rejects unimplementable mandates that ignore the 301 LGAs without reliable internet or areas lacking financial and technological infrastructure.

In conclusion, the path to credible elections is not in idealistic “live everywhere” mandates, but in well designed, evidence based legal frameworks that accommodate Nigeria’s digital and infrastructural realities while ensuring transparency, inclusivity, and electoral integrity.

Abdulrazaq Hamzat
Executive Director
Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro)
discus4now@gmail.com

Dem don start to register nonsense CSOs and NGOs to propagate nonsense. Oga that election result must be transmitted live, even 2G network can transmit results. If BIVAS can be used for accreditation and na network BIVAS dey use, then the results can be transmitted immediately too.

Foundation for mumu professionals!

Akpabio has paid this one $9m.

Thunder fire you don't need internet to transmit election results. You need internet only if you want the outside world to see the result. Una dey mad inec can create a specific private wan for the election result in collaboration with several isp once it is on their backend they move the result to another server connected to the internet so the outside world could see it

Why not just tell us that 90% of Nigeria is not covered by GSM networks?

If you want to blow lie, blow big one, don’t be a cow***d like Agbadorians

We are fine with electronic transmission of results but we need to be very careful not to creat a bigger problem while trying solving a problem. 50% of Bayelsa don't have Internet access. Some of my friends include a royal father can't be access Anytime they are out of Yenagoa. So. What happened to results of elections in those communities?

Before commenting, please read the entire writeup. They proffered workable solutions.

cule7:
Before commenting, please read the entire writeup. They proffered workable solutions.

Nigerians don't read to understand, they read to advance agenda

muykem:
We are fine with electronic transmission of results but we need to be very careful not to creat a bigger problem while trying solving a problem. 50% of Bayelsa don't have Internet access. Some of my friends include a royal father can't be access Anytime they are out of Yenagoa. So. What happened to results of elections in those communities?

Those in advantaged positions don't care about those in disadvantaged positions.

They assume everyone has the same privilege as them.

This is why Nigeria needs a leader that understands the whole of the country, not just city boys.

Corrupt politicians talking.

They can invite foreigners to drill the oil and sell. They can pipe gas from south to Europe but cannot pipe gas or even water to your homes.

If they have no internet coverage, why not buy Starlink that operates with satellite?


They can buy BVAS machines but prefer to use it analogically because of their criminal intentions.

How Shiloh, HolyGhostCongress and Convebtions take dey transmit go those villages.

Igbophobia:
Look at them. Lyi ng as if they're telling the truth. Some have tnot ever left Og bomosho.

Tinubu will start sponsoring different mushroom groups to make sure he can rig 2027 the way he did 2023. Let's see if his jazz is potent enough to do it.

Either some people no get shame, or they are just plain clueless.

Tinubu as a candidate rigged the general election in 2023, then as president they expect him to lose in 2027?

Burob:
Either some people no get shame, or they are just plain clueless.

Tinubu as a candidate rigged the general election in 2023, then as president they expect him to lose in 2027?

30k zonee plus bee talking

Igbophobia:
30k zonee plus bee talking

Bola Ahmed Tinubu is indeed, truly their master & nemesis.

Either some people no get shame, or they are just plain clueless.

Tinubu as a candidate rigged the general election in 2023, then as president today, they expect him to lose in 2027?

It's a lie, there is no where there isn't network in Nigeria

Losers looking for what to blame on in the name of we want electronic voting

muykem:
We are fine with electronic transmission of results but we need to be very careful not to creat a bigger problem while trying solving a problem. 50% of Bayelsa don't have Internet access. Some of my friends include a royal father can't be access Anytime they are out of Yenagoa. So. What happened to results of elections in those communities?

That could be solved.

Nigeria can do a deal with a satellite internet carrier.