A civil society advocate, Dr. Jude Ohanele, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently transmit an amendment bill to the National Assembly to fully legalize real-time electronic transmission of election results.
Ohanele, who is the Programme Director at Development Dynamics, said this reform is critical to restoring public trust in Nigeria’s electoral system.
Speaking on the state of democracy, Ohanele argued that Nigeria cannot yet be described as a true democracy, citing global assessments that classify it as an “electoral dictatorship.”
According to him, while elections are conducted, they often fail to reflect the genuine will of the people due to flawed processes.
He identified weak internal party democracy as a major root of the problem, noting that candidates frequently emerge without credible primaries.
This, he said, sets the stage for electoral fraud and undermines the integrity of the entire system before elections even take place.
Ohanele also criticized the optional nature of electronic transmission in the current Electoral Act, stressing that abandoning real-time uploads creates room for manipulation, especially during collation.
He explained that most irregularities occur when results are delayed and altered before final declaration.
While expressing concern, he maintained that swift reform is still possible if there is political will.
He called on the president to act immediately, noting that real-time transmission would secure results at polling units and allow citizens direct access, thereby eliminating opportunities for tampering and strengthening Nigeria’s democratic process.
Reporting by Alfred Ajayi