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Despite the rejection of electronic transmission of election results by the National Assembly in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, the use of the technology will be feasible in the deepening of democracy in Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission said on Saturday.

The commission premised its optimism on the fact that its joint committee made up of telecommunication stakeholders had revised the system and concluded that electronic transmission of results was practicable. INEC National Commissioner and Chairman (Information and Voter Education Committee), Festus Okoye, expressed these views in an interview with Sunday PUNCH in Abuja.

According to him, INEC was committed to deepening the use of technology in the electoral process and had many times demonstrated it through the creative, innovative and strategic deployment and application of technology in various aspects of the electoral process with the goal of limiting human interference in the electoral process as much as possible.

Okoye said, “INEC has the capacity to transmit election results from the polling units to the Registration Area Collation Centres to the Local Government Collation Centres, the various state, federal and senatorial district collation centres, and the state and national collation centres.

“The Joint Technical Committee constituted by the commission and the Nigerian Communications Commission and made of telecommunication operators met on March 9, 2018, and the consensus was that the requirements for the electronic transfer of results proposed by INEC is practicable. The meeting, therefore, agreed that the solution that INEC wants to deploy is possible.

“We have the assurance of the service providers that they have provided similar technological solutions to other agencies and have the capacity to deploy technology to cover a few blind spots.

“The commission will continue to pilot different solutions bearing in mind that technology is dynamic and can limit human interference in the electoral process. The commission wants broad powers to deploy technology and is not in favour of a particular solution being written into the law.

“The commission is a creation of the constitution and the law and its powers are derived from the constitution. The constitution has also given the National Assembly the power to make laws but such powers must not be in conflict with and or at variance with the provisions of the constitution.

“We will continue to implement the provisions of the Electoral Act to the extent of its consistency with the constitution, as the constitution is the fundamental law of the land. The commission will continue to build integrity and trust in the electoral process.

“The commission has piloted and continues to pilot various electronic solutions that will improve the integrity of the electoral process. Presently, all the registered political parties upload the list and personal particulars of their nominated candidates electronically.”

Okoye stated that domestic election observers and the media applied for accreditation to observe and cover elections electronically and that henceforth, political parties would submit the names and photographs of their polling agents electronically. He said, “The commission uploads Form EC8A, being polling unit results to a central viewing portal. Since 2020, the commission has been uploading these results from different parts of the country.

“The commission has used and will continue to use the existing technology to upload the results from polling units. The commission has uploaded results from polling units in Southern Ijaw with its difficult riverine and difficult terrain. The commission uploaded results from areas that are only accessible through human carriers.

“The commission uploaded results from conflict areas. The commission uploaded results from all geopolitical zones. Presently, the commission has obtained the GPS coordinates of all the 176,846 polling units in the country and expanded voter access to the polling units.

“Currently, the commission is carrying out part of the continuous voter registration exercise online, while the physical registration of voters will be done using INEC Voter Enrolment Device that will capture the fingerprints and facials of registrants.” The House of Representatives had on Friday passed the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, maintaining the controversial Clause 52(2) as presented amidst protests, especially by members of the minority caucus.

The clause gives the Independent National Electoral Commission the discretion to determine when, where and how voting and transmission of results will be done. After the passage of the bill, the Speaker, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, criticised the proposed electronic transmission of election results, saying it was not feasible in the country for now.

“I want to use this opportunity to talk to people out there … We all want electronic transmission of results, but based on the information from experts, it is not as easy as it sounds. We must get our electoral process right and when the time is right, we can come back and amend the law.

“So, I don’t think that electronic voting is feasible right now. What we have been talking about is electronic transmission, and from what we have been told today (Friday), we need to do more work so that everybody’s vote will be counted,” he said. The Senate also had on Thursday passed the long-awaited Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021 after division among its members on the electronic transmission of results.

After voting, the red chamber ruled out the possibility of having results transmitted electronically when it voted that the NCC, with the National Assembly’s approval, would determine whether INEC could transmit results electronically or not. Many Nigerians criticised the National Assembly for the non-acceptance of the electronic transmission of election results.

Sokoto State Governor and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, faulted the Senate’s decision to grant the NCC the power to determine the electronic transmission of results. He described the Senate’s decision as “unconstitutional,” saying the mode of conducting elections and the transmission of votes should be left with INEC.

“The decision of the Senate to subject INEC constitutional power to conduct elections to the Nigerian Communications Commission and National Assembly is patently unconstitutional. For the avoidance of doubt, Section 78 of the Constitution provides that ‘the registration of voters and the conduct of elections shall be subject to the direction and supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission. In the Third Schedule, Part 1, F, S.15: INEC has the power to organise, undertake and supervise all elections. The constitution further provides that INEC operations shall not be subject to the direction of anybody or authority.

“Unquestionably, the mode of election and transmission are critical parts of the conduct, supervision, undertaking, and organisation of elections in Nigeria. Of course, the National Assembly has the power to flesh out the legal framework but that has to be consistent with the Constitution,” Tambuwal said in a statement.

Lawan Disappointed Me Over Electronic Results Rransmission –Ifeanyi Ubah
Meanwhile, the candidate of the Young Progressives Party in the forthcoming November 6 governorship election in Anambra State, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, said he staged a walk-out from the Senate chamber on Thursday due to the attitude of the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.

Ubah, who is representing Anambra South Senatorial District, is one of the 28 senators who abstained from the physical headcount over the electronic transmission of election results. He stated this on Saturday in a statement titled, ‘Putting the record straight on electronic transmission of election results: My standpoint." He said the Senate President frustrated his efforts to raise a point of order over the controversial issue.

He said, “In line with parliamentary practice, I walked out of the Senate chamber in protest to register my displeasure; hence my absence during the voting session. “Before walking out of the Senate chamber, I didn’t fail to tell the Senate President how disappointed I was by his action. It is my earnest belief that the use of technology in elections can significantly improve the efficiency and transparency of electoral conduct in Nigeria.

Ex-INEC boss, Dons knock Senate for Rejecting e-Transmission Proposal
A former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Lai Olurode, has also described the passage of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021 as half-hearted and would not do the public much good.

Olurode, who is also a former Head, Department of Sociology, University of Lagos, said this in an interview with one of our correspondents in Ibadan, Oyo State capital. He said the condition attached to the approval for electronic transmission of election results which mandated the INEC to get approval from the NCC was a way of eroding the autonomy of the electoral commission.

Olurode said, “The first thing I can deduce is that the National Assembly is still not comfortable with overhauling the whole Electoral Act in a way that will make further transparency of our electoral process visible and possible. “In summary, it is like Nigeria will still continue to go through electoral ordeals, the waiting time for harvesting result is so much and sometimes, people sleep at collation centres for days because they are waiting for results from one remote part of the country.

“Therefore, for me, what they have done is a half-hearted amendment that will not serve the public good as much. Let me say this to the credit of the National Assembly, a wholesale electronic transmission of results for the whole country is dangerous.

If the transmission becomes impossible for reasons of difficulty because the machines are not cooperating, the whole country will be held to ransom. There will be apprehension and trepidation. “A party will believe because we are winning and that is why they are failing in transmitting the results electronically and that can set the country ablaze. But you cannot give with one hand and take with the other hand.”

Olurode said he preferred the first amendment which stated that INEC might transmit results of elections by electronic means where and when practicable. He said the second amendment which would now mandate the electoral commission to first go to the NCC and come back to the lawmakers for ratification to transmit results was like placing obstacles in the way of credible polls.

Also, a Professor of Political Science at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Lanre Olu-Adeyemi, faulted the passage of the Electoral Amendment Act Bill by the Senate which asked INEC to seek clearance from the NCC and the National Assembly before deploying electronic transmission of results.

The don said the action of the senate was unconstitutional and not good for the democracy of the country. He said, “The INEC is properly constituted by law to have the power to conduct elections in Nigeria. The law gives all powers concerning the election to INEC, which also includes the power to transmit and announce the final results of the election.

Also, a Political Science Professor at the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, Femi Omotoso, said for another government agency to determine INEC’s duty would pose problems for the smooth conduct of elections. “I am afraid politics is blindfolding us for us not to see the benefits derivable in some of these things which can take us to the desired end. As it is now, the electoral system will still remain the same whereas there is a need for us to improve every now and then so that we can have free, fair, credible and transparent elections.

In his submission, the Head of Political Science Department at the University of Jos, Dr Major Adeyi, maintained that the rejection of electronic transmission of election results was an “unholy way” of discrediting government investment in Information and Computer Technology.

According to him, the action by the Senate was “a setback to the electoral process in Nigeria. This action again will expose our electoral process to the democratic world that the giant of Africa is still crawling in the field of technology. If the globalised world is moving towards embracing ICT and promoting election management to my mind, the rejection of electronic transmission is an arrogant display of ignorance, and it is a process that will build confidence among the citizens and election managers.

However, Emeritus Professor of Political Science at Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State, Bunmi Ayoade, stated that although the electronic transmission of election results was good, he warned that the idea should be jettisoned if the country would not be able to meet the technology demands of transmitting the results.

He said, “I honestly believe that transmitting election results electronically is good and worthwhile. It saves time, but you need to have the gadgets and the preventive measures to be able to cope with it.

NASS has murdered democracy –Ozekhome
A constitutional lawyer and human rights activist, Dr Mike Ozekhome (SAN), also slammed the National Assembly on Saturday for rejecting the electronic transmission of election results, describing it as a national tragedy.

While accusing NASS of murdering democracy in Nigeria, Ozekhome regretted that the concept of democracy was no longer in practice in the country. The lawyer faulted the NASS’ action while delivering a special lecture at the 2021 graduation ceremony/prize-giving ceremony of the Pacesetters School in Abuja.

He said, “The national tragedy in the last two days at the National Assembly is for the sole interest of politicians in order to rig elections.
Why did we choose to kill electronic voting when across the world, even in the Democratic Republic of Congo, they are using it? You are even now making INEC to be no longer independent.”

DSS1335:
.... Nigeria is overripe for electronic voting. Even if they won't approve of it, let them please make electronic transmission of results from the pooling unit mandatory, this isn't too much to ask for. What kind of backward country is this?

......It concerns me because I’m fully convinced that a tinubu presidency would not only destabilise nigeria internally, it would damage nigeria globally, making it a big laughing stock, a butt of dark international jokes!

Truth is, next year’s presidential election will have huge long-term implications, its outcome will affect nigeria for decades. Therefore, no patriotic Nigerian should sit on the fence; that patriotism is what underpins this intervention. To be sure, the presidential election should be as much about character as manifesto.

The presidency is too serious an office to be invested in someone with serious integrity deficit. Those ignoring character and integrity should remember the Turkish proverb: “When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.”

ebuk4real:
Only criminals are afraid of real time transmission of collated election results. Till now, I am yet to see any APC person in support of it because they are certified criminals.Clowns

The Nigerian Air Force has announced that one of its senior officers has clinched double honours at a major regional medical conference, in what the Service described as another demonstration of its growing professional excellence.

In a statement posted on its official X handle on Monday, the Air Force declared in a statement titled: “NAF officer wins double honours at WACS conference, showcasing NAF professional excellence.”

According to the statement, “The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has once again demonstrated the strength of its human capacity development drive as Group Captain AO Akinuli recorded an outstanding achievement at the West African College of Surgeons (WACS) Scientific Conference.”

The conference was organised by the West African College of Surgeons and held in Accra, Ghana, from February 8 to 12, 2026, under the Faculty of Dental Surgery. Group Captain A.O. Akinuli, a specialist in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, earned the recognition following his performance in the 2025 Fellowship Examinations.

The NAF noted that he is “a specialist in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery trained with NAF support,” adding that “Gp Capt Akinuli distinguished himself in the 2025 Fellowship Examinations, reflecting the Service’s deliberate investment in excellence and advanced professional training.”

Linking the achievement to its leadership vision, the Air Force stated that, “His accomplishment aligns with the command philosophy of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, which prioritizes continuous learning, competence and mission-focused professionalism.”

At the conference, Akinuli secured two prestigious prizes. The statement disclosed that, “Gp Capt Akinuli earned two prestigious recognitions:

-1). The Prof Olayinka Otuyemi Prize for Best Dissertation Candidate in the 2025 Fellowship Examinations at first attempt.

-2). The Prof Emmanuel Oladapo-Adekeye Prize for the Best Dissertation in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.”

The Air Force emphasized that the achievement goes beyond personal success, stressing that, “These double honours project the Nigerian Air Force as an institution that nurtures innovation, scholarship and professional distinction, reinforcing its reputation for producing world-class personnel committed to service and national development.”

The release noted that the development highlighted NAF’s continued investment in advanced training and specialised education, positioning the Service not only as a key player in national security but also as a contributor to medical excellence within the West African sub-region.

"The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has insisted it has the capacity to transmit election results electronically from remote areas across Nigeria. ..."

"Telcos Contradict APC, insist Nigeria has Capacity for Electronic Transmission of Election Results.."

Following outrage at its rejection of electronic transmission of results from polling units to the INEC Results Viewing Portal, IReV, real time, on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, the Senate convened an emergency session on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.

But rather than to restore real time transmission of polling units results, and thus align itself with popular clamour and the bill already passed by the House of Representatives, namely that: “The Presiding Officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the IReV Portal real time and such transmission shall be done after the prescribed Form EC8A has been signed and stamped by the Presiding Officer and/ or countersigned by the candidates or polling agents where available at the polling unit”, the Senate pussy- footed and made a mess of the 2026 Electoral Amendment Bill.


It not only expunged “real time upload of results” from clause 60(3), it provided a clumsy caveat to the bill. The Senate’s whimsical adjustment reads thusly: “…That results shall be transmitted electronically from each polling unit to IReV.

“And such transmission shall be done after the prescribed EC8A has been signed and stamped by the Presiding Officer and party agents who are available at the polling unit.

“Provided that if the electronic transmission of result fails as a result of communication failure, the result contained in Form EC8A signed by the Presiding Officer and/ countersigned by the polling agents, shall, in such a case, be the primary source of collation and declaration of results.”

By its long and winding adjustment, the Senate visited more ambiguity and confusion where clarity and precision were needed to make the bill watertight.

Whereas, at first blush, the Senate appears to be providing a backup and paper trail, on closer scrutiny, it is taking us back to manual collation, which is susceptible to manipulation, and from which hold, we intend to liberate ourselves. The adjustment, which is dilatory, also cleverly seeks to create room for manoeuvre for those who may wish to take advantage of, or subvert our elections. Pray, how could the Commission be transmitting the results electronically and collating them manually at the same time?

If what all Nigerians are demanding is electronic transmission of results, real time, and the distinguished Senators are the true representatives of these Nigerians, why are they averse to bowing to their wishes, especially when they are not proffering compelling or superior arguments?

But anyone who has avidly followed the Commission’s sundry attempts to introduce technology to our elections with a view to adding more transparency to them, and the designs of politicians to torpedo them, should hardly be surprised.

The introduction of the Permanent Voter Card, PVC, and the Smart Card Reader, SCR, met with stiff resistance. The naysayers and those opposed, galvanised by prominent politicians and their cohorts, argued strongly then that the SCRs would not work in our rural backwaters. They cited lack of electricity to adequately charge them. They argued, speciously, that our rural folks were going to be overawed and overwhelmed by such a technology.

To knock the bottom out of these arguments, INEC test-ran the SCRs in rural areas and across the six geopolitical zones. The SCRs, contrary to the claims of the naysayers, worked seamlessly. What is more, they were well received by a majority of rural folks to the enduring shame and chagrin of the naysayers.

It is possible that the Senate may have provided the caveat, of a recourse to the use of Form EC8A as a primary source of collation and declaration of results, on account of poor network and internet coverage, particularly in our rural areas which are not muscularly served and on an abundance of caution. After all, our rural areas enjoy only 23 per cent access to the internet, while our urban areas enjoy 57 per cent access.

But this abundance of caution is deliberately feigned. Also, consideration of poor network and internet coverage being adduced fly in the face of the facts. Ahead of the 2019 general elections, and in its determination to transmit polling unit results, real time, and subject to the enactment of an enabling law, INEC, in 2018, engaged with the Nigeria Communications Commission, NCC.

It has had a long standing partnership with the NCC. This engagement led to the establishment of the INEC/NCC JOINT TECHNICAL COMMITTEE ON ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF ELECTION RESULTS. This Committee, which included key Mobile Network Operators, MNOs, discovered, to its delight, as at then, that mobile networks adequately covered 93 per cent of INEC polling units across the country.

It is on the basis of this finding that INEC, subsequently, in 2021, in its POSITION PAPER(No 1/2021) stated that “it believes that it has developed adequate structures and procedures to successfully transmit election results electronically; the technology and national infrastructure to support this is adequate.”

Besides, between 2018 and 2026, the NCC and the MNOs have brought about some upgrade of our telecommunications infrastructure. From 3G, we have morphed to 4G. We are at the verge of transforming to 5G. This is not to add other safeguards such as Access Point Name, APN, and Virtual Private Network, VPN, which the NCC and the MNOs can deploy in the service and support of electronic transmission of results, real time.

It would also be a win-win for the telecommunications industry and INEC. The three, NCC, MNOs and INEC, will, in the event of electronic transmission of election results, real time, be challenged to up their games. They will be spurred to improve and improvise on their operations to the glory of their fatherland.

We have seen these improvements with technology introduced by INEC, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS. At first their deployment and usage were chaotic. But with time, INEC Staff became more hands-on and proficient, thereby reducing the time taken to carry out accreditation and to forestal rigging.

In fact, in the POSITION PAPER referenced, INEC had further stated thus: “Electronic transmission of results will improve the quality of election result management and our engagement with stakeholders shows that the Nigerian public support it”.

By removing transmission of election results, real time, from the polling unit to the IReV from the Electoral Amendment Bill, the Senate has denied the telecommunications industry and the Election Management Body, EMB, the golden opportunity of honing their skills and deploying such skills in the service of transparent elections. It also says clearly that the Senate is imbued with a mindset that is negative, entrenched in antiquity and which pays little premium on excellence. Instead it thrives on the mediocre and garden variety.

Electronic transmission of election results, real time, from the polling unit to the IReV is possible. It can be done. This is adjudged and supported by INEC. It is what Nigerians demand. And this is attested to by the national outrage that greeted the Senate’s rejection of real time transmission of election results, the protests that followed and the attempts to occupy the National Assembly by civil society organisations.

Nigeria’s progress should not be hobbled by distinguished Senators who set store only by perpetuating themselves in office at the expense of transparent elections and deferring to the wishes of their constituents.

•Dazang, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Abuja

"The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has insisted it has the capacity to transmit election results electronically from remote areas across Nigeria. ..."

"Telcos Contradict APC, insist Nigeria has Capacity for Electronic Transmission of Election Results.."