By Goli Innocent

The Nigerian Senate has defended its decision to make the electronic transmission of election results discretionary rather than mandatory in the ongoing reform of Nigeria’s electoral governance framework, saying the move was informed by empirical data and infrastructural realities.

The upper chamber said its position was based on the “stark realities” of the country’s communication and power infrastructure, not emotion or sentiment, after consultations with stakeholders in the telecommunications and energy sectors.

Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, clarified the position in a statement issued through his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs on Sunday.

He stressed that law-making “comes with huge obligations globally, and the Senate cannot discharge such responsibilities to the detriment of the citizenry.”

The Senate had resolved against Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Bill, 2026. The clause stipulates that the presiding officer “shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time…”

Lawmakers later reviewed the provision, retaining electronic transmission but adding a caveat that in the event of internet failure, Form EC8A would serve as the primary means of result collation.

Bamidele noted that Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Bill, 2026, “is an initiative that any legislature or parliament globally will have embraced ordinarily,” citing its potential to deepen trust in democratic institutions, especially the National Assembly and the Independent National Electoral Commission.

However, he said the Senate considered data from the Nigerian Communications Commission, which showed that Nigeria achieved about 70 per cent broadband coverage in 2025, while internet user penetration stood at 44.53 per cent of the population within the same timeframe.

He also referenced the Speedtest Global Index, which ranked Nigeria 85th out of 105 countries in mobile network reliability and 129th out of 150 countries in fixed broadband reliability, arguing that making real-time transmission mandatory under such conditions could trigger disputes and instability.

The Senate leader further cited power sector data indicating that at least 85 million Nigerians lack access to grid electricity, representing about 43 per cent of the population, adding that while generation capacity hovers between 12,000 and 13,500 megawatts, only about 4,500 megawatts can be delivered nationwide.

“By the global standards, the real-time electronic transmission of election results may not be practicable at this stage of our development,” Bamidele said.

“To avoid a situation that compounds our country’s woes, it is better we make it discretionary since Section 62(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022 has already established the National Electronic Register of Election Results.

“We recognise that lawmaking globally comes with huge responsibilities. As representatives of the people, we cannot enact laws based purely on public emotion or sentiment.”

The clause on e-transmission has generated controversy, drawing reactions from opposition figures, including former presidential candidate Peter Obi and former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, and prompting the Senate to convene an emergency session to address the concerns.