As the National Assembly conference committee meets to harmonise differing versions of the proposed Electoral Act Amendment Bill, the Nigeria Political Scientists Association (NPSA) has described the Senate’s option of allowing manual and electronic modes to co-exist in the planned electoral reforms as a compromised position.
TopSociety reports that real-time upload of polling-unit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Result Viewing Portal has emerged as one of the most contentious issues before legislators as the harmonization panel meets on Tuesday.
A former Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mike Igini, said the decision facing lawmakers could shape both the credibility of future elections and their own political survival ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement issued yesterday, he contended that loopholes allowing result alteration during manual collation had historically worked against sitting lawmakers who lost party backing.
For the political scientists, they posited that while being fully in support of the prospects of transmitting election results in real time, they are concerned about the broader issues of politicians’ desperation and the commitment needed to ensure seamless adoption to achieve electoral integrity in Nigeria.
NPSA, in a statement signed by its national president, Prof. Hassan Saliu, appreciated the opposition and civil society’s victory on the matter of electronic transmission of results, but insisted that the trouble with Nigeria’s elections is not limited to the mode of result transmission.
The statement reads, “More importantly, we are concerned about the compromised position of allowing manual and electronic modes to coexist under the law.
“Based on our experience, the technological infrastructure may not work, giving the option to switch to manual mode, which is preferred by the majority of Nigerian politicians, ostensibly because of the electoral advantages it confers. The country’s politicians are a desperate lot who do not care a hoot about their electoral engagement methods.
“Herein lies our reduced optimism about this amendment passed by the Senate, which may be deemed progressive by all standards, given where the nation is coming from in the conduct of elections. Let there be no mistake about it: we are fully in support of the prospects of transmitting election results in real time, but we are also concerned about the wider issues and the necessary commitment to ensure seamless adoption to achieve electoral integrity in Nigeria.
“All Nigerians must rise to clean up the electoral process and usher in the much-desired regime of electoral transparency.”
NPSA admitted that the point of transmission of results from the polling unit is the most visible level where election manipulations mostly occur and can be proven, but stressed that this critical
last stage does not address the other issues in the chain of electoral conduct observed in the nation’s elections.
“There are others that the settled mode of transmission cannot address. We have in mind the uneven and untimely distribution of election materials, the late arrival of materials and officials, intimidation of voters, open monetary bribery, alteration of election results, and others, even in the face of the law frowning at them.
“Moreover, we can add the shenanigans that come with party primaries in Nigeria. All these electoral ‘evils’ can make a nonsense of the commendable decision on transmission of election results, which comes last in the chain of electoral duties and participation,” Saliu added.
According to Igini, in the past, many candidates who were denied party tickets contested on alternative platforms, but were defeated despite strong grassroots support because polling unit results could allegedly be altered at collation stages.
The former resident electoral commissioner maintained that mandatory real-time transmission would make results publicly verifiable and deter tampering.
