Abuja: Chief Martin Onovo, a former presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP), has expressed disappointment over the Senate’s decision to reject the proposal for real-time electronic transmission of election results, viewing it as a missed opportunity to restore faith in the nation’s electoral process.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the Senate recently passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026 after its third reading. However, a significant proposal to amend Clause 60, Subsection 3, which would have mandated the electronic transmission of election results, was not approved by the legislative body. Lawmakers opposing the amendment cited concerns about technical and logistical issues that could arise with its nationwide implementation.
Onovo, who is also an activist and the Head of Policy Positions at the Movement for Fundamental Change, criticized the Senate’s decision, claiming it undermines the electoral process and democracy. He remarked, “We have lost another opportunity to restore confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system. The rejection of electronic transmission in real time is simply to allow the writing of false election results.”
He further argued that the Senate’s action has intensified public skepticism regarding the credibility of Nigerian elections. “Some of us on this side already knew that the current National Assembly and its leadership would not allow this to pass. This is not acceptable to the people of Nigeria. This cannot be acceptable to election monitoring groups as well as local and foreign observers,” Onovo stated.
Onovo emphasized that had the lawmakers adhered to the popular demand for transparent technology in elections, they could have gained significant public trust. He noted, “The National Assembly would have written its name in gold if it had allowed e-transmission of election results.”
He warned that the ongoing resistance to reforms promoting transparency might deter citizens from future electoral participation, saying, “Nigerian people are losing interest in the electoral process because they do not believe votes count. Many of them stay away from the process and we keep complaining about apathy.”
Onovo asserted that Nigeria has the technological capability for credible elections but lacks the political will to implement it. “We are ripe for this and we have the technology to make this happen but for politics, we want to keep the nation backward,” he lamented. He urged the National Assembly to pursue reforms that enhance transparency and build public trust in the electoral system.