Senate Defends Discretionary E-Transmission Of Election Results
The Senate has defended its decision to make electronic transmission of election results discretionary rather than mandatory in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Bill 2026.
It cited “empirical data” on Nigeria’s communications and power infrastructure for its decision.
Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, in a statement issued on Sunday by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, said the decision followed consultations with key stakeholders in the communications and power sectors and was guided by “facts and realities,” not public sentiment.
The controversy centres on Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Bill, 2026, which originally provided that presiding officers “shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time.”
The Senate reviewed the clause, deleting the words “real time” and introducing a caveat that Form EC8A would serve as the primary means of collation in the event of internet failure.
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Bamidele said while mandatory real-time transmission could enhance public trust in democratic institutions, current infrastructure constraints make such a provision impracticable.
Citing data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), he noted that broadband coverage stood at about 70 percent in 2025, with internet penetration at 44.53 percent of the population.
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.
According to the index, Nigeria’s average mobile download speed was 44.14 Mbps, while fixed broadband speed was 33.32 Mbps — far below global leaders.
On power supply, Bamidele said about 85 million Nigerians, representing roughly 43 per cent of the population, lack access to grid electricity.
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Although generation capacity ranges between 12,000 and 13,500 megawatts, he said only about 4,500 megawatts can be transmitted and distributed nationwide.
Given these constraints, the Senate leader warned that making real-time transmission mandatory could trigger avoidable disputes and instability if infrastructure fails during elections.
He maintained that the upper chamber opted for a flexible framework to strengthen electronic transmission while safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process.
“Lawmaking comes with huge responsibilities. We cannot enact laws based purely on emotion or sentiment. Our decisions must reflect the realities of the federation,” Bamidele said.
