Three major opposition political parties in Nigeria, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), and the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), have criticized the Senate for rejecting the mandatory electronic transmission of election results.
The parties were reacting to the Senate’s decision on Wednesday to vote down a proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the Electoral Amendment Bill, which sought to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit election results electronically. Instead, the upper chamber resolved to allow INEC the discretion to determine whether results would be transmitted in real time.
The decision has continued to generate widespread reactions across the country, with many Nigerians condemning the lawmakers, particularly Senate President Godswill Akpabio, over allegations that the move was aimed at paving the way for the manipulation of future elections in favor of President Bola Tinubu.
In a joint statement signed by the spokespersons of the PDP, ADC, and NNPP—Ini Ememobong, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, and Bamofin Ladipo Johnson—the opposition parties accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Senate of deliberately preserving what they described as “loopholes” to enable electoral malpractice.
They warned that the Senate’s action was anti-democratic and capable of reversing Nigeria’s democratic gains, stressing that those in power were fearful of facing a free and fair electoral process at the polls.
According to the parties, the decision was so far-reaching that it compelled them to issue a joint response, noting that it posed a serious threat to the country’s hard-earned democracy. They also questioned why a ruling party that relies heavily on technology for internal processes, such as nationwide electronic membership registration, would oppose the use of technology for the transmission of election results.
The Nigerian news sphere recalls that on Wednesday, the Nigerian Senate rejected electronic transmission of elections in its amendment of the electoral laws.
However, Senate President Godswill Akpabio clarified that the Senate did not reject electronic transmission of election results.
