Some opposition political parties have criticised the Nigerian Senate over its decision to reject real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IREV), describing the move as a betrayal of the trust reposed in lawmakers by Nigerians.
The position was contained in a joint statement issued on Thursday by the spokesmen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Comrade Ini Ememobong; the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi; and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Bamofin Ladipo Johnson.
The parties said the Senate’s action, taken during the passage of the amendment to the Electoral Act 2022, undermines transparency and weakens public confidence in the electoral process. They argued that rejecting mandatory real-time transmission of results at polling units runs contrary to the demands of Nigerians for credible and verifiable elections.
In the statement, the opposition parties urged the conference committee of the National Assembly to reverse the Senate’s position by adopting the version passed by the House of Representatives, which supports real-time electronic transmission of results to IREV.
“Yesterday, the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria passed the amendment to the Electoral Act 2022, wherein, among other things, it rejected the proposal to make mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results at the polling units,” the statement read.
They maintained that allowing electronic transmission of results would reduce electoral malpractice, strengthen democracy, and align Nigeria’s electoral system with global best practices, calling on lawmakers to act in the interest of the Nigerian people.
