What is your opinion on Senate’s objection to real-time electronic transmission of election results?

For some weeks now, the Nigerian Senate has been in the news and in the eye of the storm for opposing real-time electronic transmission of election results. Nigerians, political parties, and civil society organisations (CSOs) have strongly cautioned the Senate against this move, which they said would undermine the integrity of elections and threaten democracy in the country. KINGSLEY ALUMONA sampled the opinions of some Nigerians on this matter. Their views:

Emma-Akachukwu Asom

The Senate’s objection to real-time electronic transmission of election results raises concerns about transparency and accountability. While security and technical glitches are valid concerns, they can be addressed with robust systems and regulations. Manual collation and transmission of results are prone to errors and manipulation. Real-time transmission can boost voter confidence and reduce disputes. It is crucial to prioritise the integrity and credibility of our electoral process. The Senate should reconsider its stance and work towards a more transparent and efficient electoral system.

Oluwamuyiwa O’bode

Nigeria’s democracy stands at a defining moment. The question of real-time electronic transmission of election results is not about politics or party advantage. Rather, it is about trust, transparency, and the future of our nation. Real-time election transmission protects the people’s will, because elections belong to the people, not parties or politicians. When results are transmitted electronically and immediately from polling units, it becomes nearly impossible to manipulate figures during movement or collation. If banks and Nigerians use technology to make things easier and faster, we can also use the same technology to send real-time electronic transmission of results.

Kackah Ushahemba Aleks

The Senate’s objection to mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results is concerning because transparency is the foundation of electoral legitimacy. Where manual processes remain dominant, the risk of alteration or dispute increases. Nigeria has experienced post-election tensions partly rooted in credibility gaps, and reform should focus on strengthening safeguards and not weakening them. Real-time electronic transmission reduces human interference and builds public confidence in the outcomes. If citizens are to trust the democratic process, the legal framework must prioritise openness, technological integrity, and accountability over procedural discretion.

Biggie Bigs

I hope that the elders and actors in Nigeria’s politics, in their wisdom, would intervene in this matter before it gets worse. The people’s opinion is that the election results should be electronically transmitted in real time. This technology reduces human interference in result handling, delivers faster, and blocks tampering. It creates trust in the outcome of elections — winners win with pride, and losers lose with dignity. We shall march and march until we win because we are united.

Ibrahim Abubakar

Nigeria is a progressive nation. This was not where we were last year or even a decade ago. Let us even say the e-transmission of election results would not work, but have we made progress from where we were in the last election season? If yes, then it is a welcome development. E-inctransmission of election results would be a big problem because they did not get there through the right means.

Dada Ibrahim

Do we have the technology to transmit the results in real time without glitches? What guarantee is there that transmitting the results in real-time would not be hijacked by hackers? What would be the fate of areas not having network coverage if the results were to be transmitted in real-time?

Vincent Ọghẹnẹmaro

The Senate has to have a rethink and make the electronic transmission of results in real-time compulsory. It would make the Senate look serious and increase our election credibility immensely. The rejection by the Senate is sending a bad signal and painting the Upper Chamber black already.

Gregory Amoke

Mandatory e-transmission of results is the only way to address electoral fraud in Nigeria, strengthen our democracy, and encourage transparency. No one should be scared of it. Is what Nigerians want, not what national assembly want. They are there for us, not for themselves.

Bayo Morakinyo

There is no network coverage in my village to transmit electronic election results. And the same with many neighboring settlements around our country. Even if there is a network, what about network glitches? What about the dastardly act of hackers? So, electronic transmission, real-time or no real-time, is a no for me.

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Olalekan Bello

The Senate is right. Looking at the level of epilepsy network availability in some areas in Nigeria, mostly in remote areas, transmission of results from such terrain would be a challenge, coupled with logistics issues and hackers. What we must clamour for is building strong institutions and men of impeccable quality.

Emmanuel Adebo

I think we are not at the stage of using real-time e-transmission of election results, considering the network issues in the country. Cities are still crying for networks fluctuations, how much more villages and rural areas. Secondly, have we ever ask ourselves why technologically advance countries like the USA, the UK, etc do not use such a method? Lastly, if hackers venture into the results, it would complicate the election outsome. I would suggest that real-time should not be used for now.

Balogun Fatai

You want the Senate to include the compulsory electronic transmission of results in the Electoral Act 2022. Even our mobile network fails us sometimes. Yet, you want us to take such a risk in an important moment in 2027.

Oloye Olabode

The Senate is making a good point. The Senate did not remove the act, but fine-tuned it for easy implementation by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). INEC would not disenfranchise anyone. It is the duty of the legislature to make clear laws for citizens to comply with. Electronic transmission of election results cannot be compulsory in Nigeria, where network service and electricity are fluctuating. It should be optional in an environment. Some politicians are mischievous. They want to hide under the machine to manipulate election results. In the last presidential election, some politicians tampered with the machine to perpetrate electoral fraud. However, the former INEC chairman blocked their evil plan, because the law allowed him. Electronic transmission of election results was optional then.

Gilbert Diche

There is nowhere in the world where election results are transmitted electronically in real-time, meaning done as it is happening or instantaneously. Some amount of time must elapse before any results can be transmitted. Real-time transmission is what we observe on a TV live event, as a continuous process, not a discrete act. Election results, like WAEC, NECO or JAMB results, can only be sent out electronically after they have been compiled. For the Electoral Act, therefore, the wording should be: Duly compiled election results from a polling unit should be transmitted electronically as soon as possible. This will save INEC a lot of legal trouble about real-time transmission.

Christopher Emeka

Senators claim that there are no networks in some states. However, bandits and kidnappers negotiate with victims’ families right from the forests and deserts, and POS operators do their business from every nook and cranny of the country. How are they able to do that? I advise the Senate to consult the bandits and kidnappers to learn how they get their networks.

Chidiebere Onyekachi

The Senate’s objection to real-time electronic transmission of election results is disappointing and raises serious concerns about transparency. In an era where technology improves efficiency and trust, resisting such systems feels like a step backwards. Real-time transmission can reduce manipulation, speed up result collation, and strengthen public confidence in the electoral process. While concerns about infrastructure and security are valid, they should be addressed through safeguards and phased implementation, not outright rejection. Democracy thrives on openness, and embracing credible technology is essential for elections that truly reflect the will of the people.

Sulaimon Ogunleye

The Senate’s objection to real-time electronic transmission of election results is an obstacle to Nigeria’s democratic growth. Whereas anxieties about network analysis and cybersecurity are valid, they should not be used to justify reforms that develop transparency and accountability. Electronic transmission decreases human intervention, influence, and post-election crises that have long existed in the system. Rather than declining it outright, the Senate should focus on improving infrastructure, legal frameworks, and safeguards. Approving technology, with appropriate checks, will shape public trust and align Nigeria’s elections with worldwide democratic standards.

Yomex Stayalive

Even the US, with almost 250 years of unbroken democracy, with all its technological advancement and even practising electronic voting, does not transmit results in real-time for obvious reason. A situation where some fraudsters promised a candidate “to use technology to rig the election” for him, and it is the same candidate who is leading the protest to intimidate the Senate to approve real-time transmission, and people are still supporting such a protest.

Abubakar Hussein

The masses are not well represented. The bill for changing the old national anthem was passed in a space of less than 1 month. This change does not reflect or affect the price of gari in the market. INEC proposed electronic transmission of election results, and the rubber-stamp legislators say no because they benefit from the rigging, thereby subjecting the common man to political slavery. If we fail to change this, our slavery has no expiring date.

Stephen Ibrahim Bulama

The Senate, especially the 10th Assembly, under the leadership of Godswill Akpabio, has staged a legislative coup against Nigeria’s democracy by objecting to real-time electronic transmission of election results. This move is not only disappointing but provocative, as it appears designed to test the patience of Nigerians. If real-time transmission is passed into law, electoral disputes would drastically reduce, even giving the courts some rest, because power would truly return to the people by closing collation loopholes used for rigging. The Senate has failed Nigerians, but Nigerians would remind them whom sovereignty belongs to.