The call comes after the Senate initially rejected the proposal for electronic transmission to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV), sparking protests and demands for a reversal.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the national assembly conference committee to adopt the version of the Electoral Act amendment bill passed by the House of Representatives, which mandates real-time electronic transmission of election results.
The call comes after the Senate initially rejected the proposal for electronic transmission to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV), sparking protests and demands for a reversal.
On Tuesday, the Senate reversed its earlier decision, approving electronic transmission but adding a provision for manual collation as a fallback in case of technological failure.
PDP spokesperson Ini Ememobong condemned the addition of manual collation, describing it as a “backdoor attempt” to weaken full electronic transmission.
He said manual transmission is already provided under the 2022 Electoral Act and stressed that electronic transmission ensures results cannot be altered before reaching collation centres.
Ememobong questioned why the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS), which has reliably handled accreditation during elections, would suddenly be deemed unreliable for transmitting results.
He accused some senators of resisting electronic transmission to protect avenues for manipulating results, adding, “Nigeria is bigger than their narrow personal and political interests.”
He called on the conference committee to uphold the House of Representatives’ position to guarantee credible elections in 2027 and urged Nigerians to continue demanding real-time electronic transmission, insisting that democracy should not be left solely in the hands of politicians.
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