Abuja: Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has urged lawmakers to clearly mandate real-time transmission of polling unit results in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act, warning that Nigeria’s electoral credibility hinges on this action.
At a technical expert meeting by ActionAid Nigeria in Abuja, Falana said transparency at polling units is key to credible elections. He argued that results are vulnerable to manipulation and delay after leaving the unit, eroding public trust.
Falana clarified that Nigeria uses manual voting and counting. “We’re not asking for electronic voting,” he said, “but immediate uploads of scanned, signed result sheets (Form EC8A) after counting.”
In the 2023 elections, Falana noted INEC used BVAS nationwide, but real-time uploads lagged due to technical issues. He dismissed connectivity excuses, citing Nigeria’s strong telecom and banking systems as proof that real-time transmission is workable.
Citing the Supreme Court ruling in Atiku Abubakar & Anor v INEC & Ors (2023), Falana observed that while electronic transmission is currently allowed, it is not yet mandatory. He called on lawmakers to take decisive action by embedding a requirement for real-time result uploads into law to ensure electoral integrity.
Falana also addressed counterarguments equating real-time transmission with electronic voting, calling them “conceptually flawed.” He emphasised that mandatory transmission would not solve all electoral problems, such as vote-buying or weak enforcement of electoral offences, but would be a critical step toward restoring confidence in Nigeria’s democracy.
The ActionAid Nigeria meeting united experts and stakeholders to discuss Electoral Act reforms. Falana highlighted the urgency of greater transparency ahead of future elections.
