Only Electoral Fraud Beneficiaries Back Manual Result Transfer, Says Galadima

A chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima, has criticised the Senate’s latest position on the Electoral Act amendment, warning that permitting both electronic and manual transmission of election results is as good as doing nothing.

Speaking on Arise News on Thursday, Galadima argued that the Senate had not substantially amended the 2022 Electoral Act but instead introduced contradictory provisions that could allow manipulation of election outcomes.

“Why should they tell us we should do transmission real time electronically and at the same time say if that is not possible you do manual transfer? The Senate cannot be wise by half,” he said, adding that lawmakers appeared to assume Nigerians would not question the implications.

He alleged that if the provision stands, electoral authorities could be quietly encouraged to rely on manual result transmission.

According to him, “INEC will be directed under the table to only use EC8A so they could rig the election and go back to their houses. They should know that we will know this.”

Galadima insisted that Nigerians overwhelmingly support full electronic transmission of results, arguing that only those benefiting from electoral malpractice favour manual processes.

“There is no single person except a beneficiary of fraud that supports manual transfer of election results,” he stated.

He took the opportunity to remind lawmakers that they are accountable to citizens, saying, “They are our servants. We sent them to do laws for the good governance of Nigeria. They don’t have an opinion above the opinion of the people, and Nigerians 101 per cent support electronic transmission.”

Drawing instances from past elections, he noted that the introduction of card readers in 2015 helped improve electoral credibility and should serve as a precedent for expanding technology in elections rather than scaling it back.

He also questioned why network challenges cited in 2023 had not been resolved, suggesting satellite support could be deployed during elections if necessary.

“It is the duty of every Nigerian to come out and tell these people once and for all that enough is enough.
Each time it is election cycle they will tell us stories.

“What has happened between 2023 to today that they were not able to provide network coverage for the whole of Nigeria. That is impossible.

“If they don’t know, I will get them a country in this world that can borrow satellite to Nigeria for eight hours during the conduct of that election.

“So please, they should not provoke Nigerians because they believe that no Nigerian matter. They should remember that we Nigerians elected them our kings, not our servants,” Galadima said.

Galadima further addressed reports from the United States Congress allegedly linking former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso to terrorism financing, dismissing the claims as politically motivated and unfair.

“I think that is most unfair to Kwankwaso, most unfair to his person and integrity as a peaceful Nigerian. What we see are intrigues ahead of the 2027 elections,” he said.

He argued that Kwankwaso remains politically influential despite internal party challenges, citing the large crowds that still gather around him in Kano and ongoing interest from political actors seeking alliances.

He also rejected claims that Kwankwaso introduced Sharia law in Kano, stating it was enacted under legislative pressure while he was governor and that he had historically protected minority groups in the state.

He maintained that attempts to link the former governor to extremism were politically driven efforts to weaken a potential opposition figure ahead of future elections.