The Nigerian Senate has explained that its decision to make electronic transmission of election results optional, rather than mandatory, was guided by consultations with stakeholders in the country’s communications and power sectors.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) said many communities remain without internet coverage, while roughly 85 million Nigerians—about 43% of the population—still lack access to electricity. He noted that Nigeria’s broadband speeds and reliability lag far behind global standards, citing mobile network speed of 44.14 Mbps compared with the UAE at 691.76 Mbps, and fixed broadband ranking 129th out of 150 countries.
The amended Electoral Act allows electronic transmission of results but provides a fallback: Form EC8A will serve as the primary record if networks fail. The Senate has also set up a nine-member harmonisation committee to reconcile differences with the House of Representatives’ version, which mandates electronic transmission.
Bamidele stressed that the Senate’s approach reflects practical realities rather than emotion, noting that the deletion of the phrase “real-time” from Clause 60(3 & 5) was intended to prevent potential electoral disruptions due to infrastructure limitations.
Civil society groups including Yiaga Africa, The Kukah Centre, and ElectHER have urged the harmonisation committee to adopt the House’s mandatory transmission provision.
