Electronic Transmitter of Election Results: For the sake of our eemocracy, the National Assembly must approve result transmission, by Love Arugu Obiani
Nigeria stands at a defining moment in its democratic journey. Elections are not just about casting votes; they are about protecting the will of the people from manipulation, delay, and distortion. One of the most important steps toward safeguarding this will is the electronic transmission of election results, a reform the National Assembly must now fully approve and uphold.
Across Nigeria today, even in the most remote villages, people make phone calls, send text messages, receive bank alerts, and conduct business through Point of Sale (POS) terminals. Traders in riverine communities, farmers in rural settlements, and small shop owners in far-flung areas all depend on mobile networks for their daily transactions. If money can be transferred instantly across Nigeria through these same networks, then election results can also be transmitted securely and in real time.
The claim that network coverage is too poor for electronic result transmission does not match the lived experience of Nigerians. Where POS machines work, where USSD codes function, and where phone calls go through, data transmission already exists. Elections should not be treated as if they belong to a technological era long past.
The greatest threat to Nigeria’s elections has never been the polling unit; it has been the long, vulnerable journey of results from polling units to collation centers. It is during this movement that figures are altered, results disappear, and the will of voters is often compromised. Electronic transmission closes this dangerous gap. When results are uploaded directly from polling units to a central database, there is little room for human interference.
INEC already uses technology to verify voters through the BVAS system. These same devices can be used to transmit results. If they can capture biometric data in rural areas, they can also send numerical data. The technology is not the problem. What remains is the political courage to allow it work.
Around Africa and beyond, countries with fewer resources than Nigeria now transmit their election results electronically. Real-time result publication has improved transparency, reduced disputes, and strengthened public confidence. Nigeria should not be left behind in this global democratic progress.
This is why the National Assembly must rise above politics and act in the national interest. Approving electronic transmission of results is not about favouring any party; it is about protecting every voter. It is about ensuring that votes cast in a remote village count just as much as votes cast in the heart of a major city.
Our democracy cannot grow when the process remains open to manipulation. Nigerians deserve an electoral system that is modern, transparent, and trustworthy. The time has come for the National Assembly to do what is right.
For the sake of our democracy, electronic transmission of election results must be approved and implemented.
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