The Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, claims the Senate rejected proposals for real-time transmission of election results because unpopular and corrupt politicians are scared of accountability.
On Wednesday, the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill 2026 was passed through the third reading at the Senate.
The lawmakers, however, did not approve the proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the bill, which sought to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory.
Reacting to the development, Itodo described it as a dark day for legislative governance in Nigeria.
“What is clear is that there is a deliberate attempt to ensure there is no electronic transmission of results because unpopular, corrupt politicians are scared of accountability, and electronic transmission of results would deepen that accountability,” Itodo said on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday.
“I actually worry that this would impact voter behaviour because it then means that we have to work twice as hard, and if not more than that, to ensure trust and confidence in voters that when they go to cast their vote in February next year or in the next cycle of cycle elections, that the vote would count and result will not be manipulated.”
According to him, the clamour for the electronic transmission of results goes hand in hand with the manual process because of limited human interference.
Itodo said the electronic transmission of results “devolves power to the people and gives them the opportunity to monitor the [election] process.
“Unfortunately, with this action, our concern is that it will discourage voters from participating in the next election. In fact, the stakeholders will not have confidence,” he said on the breakfast show.
The YIAGA chief described the action as “really unfortunate, and I must say it is a dark day for legislative governance in Nigeria because this action taken by the Senate is highly condemnable, reprehensible, and it’s a betrayal of trust of the Nigeria people”.
