Abuja: A former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Mike Igini, has stressed the need for Nigeria to fully embrace electronic transmission of election results as a critical safeguard for electoral integrity and democratic accountability. Igini stated this while delivering a keynote address at a Yiaga Africa roundtable, themed: ‘Electronic Transmission and Electoral Integrity: Safeguarding the Vote under the Electoral Act 2026’.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Igini emphasized that democracy thrives on citizens’ participation and accountability, noting that credible, periodic elections remain the foundation for the peaceful transfer of power and the ability of citizens to shape their collective destiny. He reaffirmed the constitutional independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), citing provisions of the 1999 Constitution that empower the electoral body to regulate its procedures without external control.
The former REC highlighted INEC’s adoption of technological innovations over the years, including the Smart Card Reader and Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), as significant progress in addressing electoral manipulation and improving transparency. He recalled that pilot electronic transmission of results had been successfully conducted in Cross River, describing the introduction of BVAS and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) as milestones that have raised public confidence and expectations for more transparent elections.
Igini expressed concern over the proviso in Section 60(3) of the Electoral Act 2026, which retains the manually-signed Form EC8A as the primary source for result collation despite electronic transmission. He described the provision as a setback capable of undermining the gains recorded through technological reforms. Igini referenced the Supreme Court’s characterization of IReV as a viewing portal, maintaining that such interpretation conflicts with INEC’s constitutional powers to determine its procedures.
He warned that conditional electronic transmission could weaken transparency, contribute to voter apathy, and erode public trust in the electoral process. Highlighting the benefits of electronic transmission, Igini said real-time result uploads would enhance transparency, reduce human error, and strengthen the credibility of election outcomes. He acknowledged the challenges, including infrastructure gaps, cybersecurity concerns, and resistance from political actors.
Igini called for strategic investment in technology, stronger security safeguards, and broader stakeholder engagement, urging INEC to communicate more openly with citizens on contentious electoral issues. He also urged the judiciary to uphold the rule of law, stressing that the viability of democracy lies in a very courageous and independent judiciary.
‘Sensitivity of the law is key to the practice of democracy. Justice Ademola once said judges should not be seen to blow muted trumpets. They must stand tall and mighty in defense of democracy and the rule of law,’ Igini said. He further stated that electronic transmission should be regarded as an essential pillar of Nigeria’s democratic framework rather than a mere technological upgrade.
On his part, the organizer of the roundtable, Samson Itodo, called for greater clarity and transparency in Nigeria’s electoral result management process, particularly regarding the real-time electronic transmission of election results, ahead of the 2027 general elections. Itodo, the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, noted that recent public debates around electronic transmission of results had exposed critical weaknesses in the country’s electoral system.
Itodo expressed concern over the National Assembly’s position on election result management, describing those aspects of the legislation as problematic. He alleged that multiple versions of Section 63 of the proposed Electoral Act are currently in circulation. Itodo urged the National Assembly and other relevant authorities to make the 2026 Electoral Act publicly available to ensure that citizens understand the legal provisions guiding elections.
He acknowledged that technological innovations such as electronic transmission platforms and result viewing portals had the potential to significantly improve electoral transparency in the country. However, he warned that without strong accountability and integrity safeguards, the same technologies could fuel distrust among voters. According to him, citizens’ confidence in whether their votes count is closely tied to the credibility of results management systems and ultimately affects the legitimacy of electoral outcomes.