By Chioma Amaryllis Ahaghotu
Real-time electronic transmission of election results is no longer a “nice to have.” It is the single most important reform needed to restore credibility to Nigeria’s elections ahead of 2027. When results are uploaded immediately from the polling unit, after counting and signing, it shuts down the most notorious point of electoral manipulation: the journey from the polling unit to the collation center.
That is where figures have historically been altered, inflated, or substituted. Real-time transmission creates a timestamped, verifiable public record before human interference can begin. The controversy of the 2023 elections did not come from voting itself. It came from delays, discretion, and opacity in how results were transmitted and collated. When transmission is optional, flexible, or left to “later,” it creates room for excuses, technical stories, and selective compliance.
Democracy cannot survive on discretion. The House of Representatives understands this. That is why it passed the bill mandating real-time electronic transmission. Clear rule. Clear process. Clear accountability. So why is the Senate stalling? The official excuse is network coverage and logistics. But this argument collapses under assessment. Nigeria already conducts BVAS accreditation nationwide. Banks run real-time transactions.
Telecom companies map coverage daily. Real-time transmission does not require perfection; it requires good faith and planning. Where networks fail, the law can accommodate clearly defined backups. What it should not accommodate is ambiguity. The real issue is that real-time transmission closes loopholes. And loopholes benefit those who thrive on uncertainty. When results are immediately public, manipulation becomes harder, disputes become fewer, and post-election litigation becomes clearer and faster. Transparency shifts power away from backroom actors and toward voters. That is why this reform matters.
And concerns all of us. This is not about party advantage. It is about system credibility. Any democracy that cannot guarantee that votes counted at the polling unit are the same votes announced nationally is YET a serious democracy. If the Senate blocks this provision, Nigerians are justified to speculate on what is being protected. It is not mere logistics, but leverage. 2027 cannot be another exercise in trust us, explanations later. Mandate real-time transmission.
Remove discretion.
Let the results speak for themselves. Ahead ahead.
