The Labour Party (LP) has thrown its weight behind calls for a legal framework that would make the electronic transmission and collation of election results mandatory in Nigeria, stressing that such a move would strengthen democracy and restore public confidence in the electoral process.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, said that the irregularities witnessed during the 2023 general elections exposed the weaknesses of manual result collation, which often led to manipulation, delays, and disputes.
For Nigeria’s democracy to advance, the transmission of results electronically must be backed by law. The loopholes in the present system were exploited in the last elections, and Nigerians deserve an electoral process they can trust,” Ifoh stated.
He noted that while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had introduced the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), the absence of clear legal compulsion allowed inconsistencies that fueled post-election litigations.
The Labour Party urged the National Assembly to act swiftly by amending the Electoral Act to make real-time electronic transmission of results binding on INEC. According to the party, this would not only improve transparency but also reduce the burden on election tribunals, where disputes over result collation have become rampant.
>We are not asking for a favour; we are demanding what is necessary for credible elections. Once results are uploaded instantly, the room for falsification is eliminated, and Nigerians can follow the process as it unfolds,” the statement read.
The party further maintained that Nigeria must align with global best practices by leveraging technology to safeguard the will of the people.
With the 2027 elections approaching, the call for legal backing of electronic results is expected to generate intense debate among stakeholders, particularly within the National Assembly and civil society groups pushing for deeper electoral reforms.
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