NIGERIA’S INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC) HAD ALREADY ESTABLISHED THE CAPACITY TO TRANSMIT ELECTION RESULTS ELECTRONICALLY, ACCORDING TO A 2021 OFFICIAL POSITION SIGNED BY CHAIRMAN PROFESSOR MAHMOOD YAKUBU, DESPITE RECENT DEBATES ARISING FROM AMENDMENTS TO THE ELECTORAL ACT OF 2022.
The report, obtained by VANGUARD, predates the current controversy surrounding Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act, which now includes a proviso allowing manual transmission of results if electronic systems fail. The 25-page document outlines INEC’s decade-long technical pilots, the four phases of electronic voting, and partnerships with the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to ensure secure and reliable results transmission.
According to the report, electronic transmission is essential for trust, efficiency, safety, transparency, and timely results management. INEC emphasized that electronic transmission is distinct from electronic balloting or internet voting, noting that voting will still occur at the nation’s 176,846 polling units, with voters accredited electronically through the Biometric Voter Authentication System (BVAS) and Smart Card Readers (SCRs).
The Commission has tested electronic results transmission through multiple pilots across the country, including the 2019 General Election, and demonstrated that national ICT infrastructure is adequate. INEC also clarified that partnerships with NCC and MNOs are facilitative, but the authority to conduct elections remains constitutionally vested in the Commission, without requiring attestation from any external agency.
The report concluded that Nigeria is ready for full electronic transmission of results, which will enhance election integrity, reduce human errors, and improve auditing and verification. INEC stressed the need for a legal framework that empowers, rather than restricts, its ability to implement electronic voting and results transmission for credible, transparent elections.
