Abuja: Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele says empirical data guided the chamber’s choice to make electronic transmission of election results discretionary rather than mandatory in the ongoing reform of Nigeria’s electoral governance framework.
The Senate based its decision on the country’s challenges after consulting key stakeholders in the communications and power sectors.
Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, clarified the position of the upper chamber through a statement issued by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs in Abuja on Sunday.
According to him, lawmaking entails significant obligations worldwide, and the Senate cannot discharge them at the expense of the citizenry.
The senate had resolved against Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Bill, 2026.
In specific terms, the clause stipulates that the presiding officer “shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time…”
The Senate subsequently reviewed the contentious clause to further strengthen the electronic transmission of results, in response to public demand, though with a caveat that, in the event of internet failure, Form EC8A would serve as the primary means of result collation.
Bamidele, however, described Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Bill, 2026 as an initiative that any legislature or parliament globally would have ordinarily embraced.
He cited its potential to deepen trust in the democratic institutions, especially the National Assembly and INEC.
The Senate leader explained that the Senate examined Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Bill 2026 and noted that the country’s communication and power infrastructure would not guarantee real-time electronic transmission of election results as proposed by some stakeholders.
Citing data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Bamidele said Nigeria had achieved only about 70 per cent broadband coverage—which means access to high-speed internet—in 2025, while internet user penetration (the percentage of the population actively using the internet) was 44.53 per cent during the same period.
He also cited the Speedtest Global Index, a ranking that measures internet performance worldwide, which ranked Nigeria 85th out of 105 countries in mobile network reliability and 129th out of 150 countries in fixed internet broadband reliability. He further said: “Based on the Speedtest Global Index, Nigeria’s mobile network reliability was 44.14 megabits per second.
“This is extremely low compared with the UAE, which has 691.76 mbps; Qatar, with 573.53 mbps; Kuwait, 415.67 Mbps; Bahrain, 303.21 Mbps; and Bulgaria, 289.41 mbps. The Index placed Nigeria far below the global average.
“Nigeria’s fixed internet broadband rating is quite low by the global standard. Out of 150 countries, Nigeria ranked 129th with only 33.32 Mbps.
“In this rating, Singapore came first with 410.06 mbps, followed by the UAE’s 382.35 mbps; France’s 346.25 mbps, Chile’s 348.41 Mbps, and Hong Kong’s 345.25 mbps.”
The senator cited official data on power infrastructure. At least 85 million Nigerians lack access to grid electricity, which is about 43 per cent of the population.
“This shortfall speaks to the state of our power infrastructure. Even though our generation capacity hovers around 12,000 to 13,500 megawatts, our distribution and transmission capacity is acutely limited.
He added that power infrastructure can deliver only 4,500 megawatts to households nationwide. But with the Electricity Act, 2025, the power sector expects significant growth this financial year.”
Bamidele doubted the real-time transmission of election results, citing unreliable communication and power infrastructure, and warned that making it mandatory could trigger a crisis.
“In democracy, lawmaking sits at the heart of public governance. Indeed, it is its lifeblood that freely flows in the veins of all public institutions.
“It does not respond to mere emotion or sentiment, but to facts, proofs or realities that can define or distort the future of our political system.
“If our law does not capture the realities of the federation, then it is a script for anarchy or a ploy for instability.
He said this conclusion guided the Senate in redrafting Clauses 60(3 & 60 (5) and in adding a caveat. This was aimed at addressing concerns nationwide.
He said the caveat was to delete ‘real time’ from the clause. This prevents the formation of an electoral framework that does not reflect the country’s realities.
