Outrage Grows Over Senate’s Move to Reverse Nigeria’s Democracy

*You’re playing with fire for refusing real-time result upload, Ezekwesili tells lawmakers

*RULAAC, others say bill’s rejection may lead to electoral chaos

Chuks Okocha, Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja and Sunday Ehigiator in Lagos

The Senate’s refusal to entrench transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s democracy, despite citizens’ clamour for both, particularly its failure to clearly provide for the electronic transmission of results from polling units in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2026, has continued to attract widespread outrage across the country.Former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili; members of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE); Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) chieftain, Chief Bode George; the Obidient Movement, and the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), criticised the Senate for allegedly weakening provisions aimed at strengthening electoral transparency.

Also, Yiaga Africa and Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA carpeted the upper chamber and described the position of the red chamber as working against the expectations of Nigerians for their self-political preservation by enabling provisions that are pro- manipulation.

The critics, who spoke separately, accused the upper legislative chamber of retaining loopholes in the proposed amendment, particularly regarding the electronic transmission of election results, warning that such provisions could undermine public trust in Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The e-transmission of results, if approved, would have required the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) presiding officers to upload results from each polling unit to the IReV portal in real time, immediately after completing Form EC&A, which must be signed and stamped by the presiding officer and countersigned by party agents.

Instead, the senators chose to retain the present Electoral Act provision, which mandates that, “the presiding officer shall transfer the results, including the total number of accredited voters and the results of the ballot, in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.”

Ezekwesili while sharply criticising its handling of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026, warned lawmakers against actions she said could further inflame public frustration and undermine Nigeria’s democracy.Ezekwesili spoke yesterday during an interview on ARISE New Channel’s “The Morning Show”, two days after the Senate passed the Electoral Bill 2026 following hours of debate.

She accused the political class, particularly the Senate, of repeatedly taking decisions that alienate Nigerians.“Stop playing with fire. It’s almost as if the political class, especially as exemplified by the Senate, just wakes up every morning and says, ‘What shall we do today to upset Nigerians?’” she said.She argued that citizens were justified in expressing anger over what she described as the excesses and poor judgment of lawmakers.

“Now, anyone who at all supports the idea that it is okay for citizens to not be very annoyed at the excesses and the sheer lack of even wisdom on the part of our senators — I don’t know where that person is reading from,” the ex-minister stated.

While stressing that no one should incite violence, the former minister said Nigerians must continue to exercise their civic rights and remain vigilant in defending democratic values.“Nobody wants anybody to be incited, but it is entirely necessary for citizens to know that they are acting within their right when they exercise what Thomas Jefferson, one of the legendary presidents of the United States, said — that eternal vigilance is the price that citizens pay for freedom, for liberty,” she said.

Ezekwesili further warned that lawmakers must not treat Nigeria as their personal domain.“These senators cannot run Nigeria as though it were their fiefdom. Nigerian democracy belongs to the people, it doesn’t belong to the politicians,” she added.

Ezekwesili, a prominent advocate for transparency and good governance, said the Senate’s decision to retain Section 16(5) of the 2022 Electoral Act preserved ambiguities that eroded public confidence during the 2023 general elections.

According to her, “the provision created discretionary powers for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regarding electronic transmission of results, which later became a major source of controversy.”She recalled that, “INEC officials had assured Nigerians, particularly youths, that results would be transmitted electronically through the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV), but the failure to fully implement the process sparked doubts about the credibility of the elections.

“Once it was established that the law does not mandate INEC to upload results at every polling unit, it became the basis for the lack of transparency and duplicity that Nigerians witnessed.”She argued that the amendment bill presented an opportunity to remove ambiguities and reinforce electoral credibility, but alleged that the Senate’s approach amounted to avoiding critical reforms.

Ezekwesili stressed that citizens have the constitutional right to demand accountability from lawmakers, noting that public agitation over the issue reflects deep frustration among Nigerians.

She advocated for a clear provision mandating real-time electronic transmission of results from polling units, quoting the proposed amendment, which states that presiding officers must electronically transmit polling unit results to IReV immediately after completing and authenticating result forms.

“The citizens want transparency, so give it to them,” she said, warning that weakening electoral safeguards could deepen voter apathy and weaken democratic legitimacy.

WThe NSE also threw its weight behind real-time electronic transmission of election results, dismissing the Nigerian Senate’s reasons for rejecting the proposal as professionally indefensible.

In a statement in Abuja signed by the NSE President, Ali Rabiu, the umbrella body of engineers in Nigeria said none of the arguments advanced by lawmakers against mandatory real-time transmission had the endorsement of any competent professional or technical body.

The NSE recalled that lawmakers justified their position by citing poor network coverage across large swathes of the country, particularly in rural and remote areas; cybersecurity risks associated with hacking and data interception; weak infrastructure such as unreliable electricity at polling units; and the possibility that technical failures could trigger prolonged legal disputes over election outcomes.

But the NSE rejected these concerns, arguing that they reflect outdated assumptions about modern election technology and underestimate Nigeria’s existing and potential technical capacity.

“Let it be on record that the reasons mentioned above do not have the endorsement of any technically proficient professional organisation such as the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE). Electronic transmission of election results offers several technical advantages that could enhance the integrity, efficiency and credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process,” the organisation argued.

According to the engineering body, electronic transmission of results offers clear advantages over the current reliance on manual movement of result sheets, which it described as highly vulnerable to manipulation, loss and alteration during transit.

From a cost perspective, the engineers’ body said while initial investments are required, these would be offset over time by savings from reduced printing, transportation and personnel costs. Cloud-based systems, it said, are scalable enough to handle results from Nigeria’s more than 176,000 polling units, with built-in redundancy to manage technical failures.

Also criticising the Senate’s decision, PDP chieftain, Chief Bode George, warned that failure to guarantee the electronic transmission of election results could destabilise the country’s democratic process.

George described the Senate’s position as alarming and called for a reconsideration of the bill, arguing that Nigeria must align its electoral process with global digital standards.

“The whole world is now digital. How can we be saying we will not transmit results electronically?” he queried during an interview on ARISE NEWS Channel.

He warned that abandoning electronic transmission could revive manipulation, suppression and electoral malpractice, which he said could lead to governance crises.

He emphasised that credible elections remained the foundation of good governance, noting that leaders must be genuinely elected to serve citizens effectively.

“If people are manipulatively elected, how would they serve the people?” he asked.

In the same vein, the Obidient Movement condemned the Nigerian Senate’s recent decision to reject the mandatory electronic transmission of election results.

In a statement, the National coordinator of the movement, Dr. Tanko Yunusa, stated, ”This action, which retains a clause in the 2022 Electoral Act allowing for manual collation of results, is a deliberate and unforgivable act of electoral manipulation in preparation for the 2027 general elections.

”This decision by the National Assembly represents a direct assault on the foundations of Nigeria’s democracy. By refusing to mandate the electronic transmission of results from polling units to the INEC’s Result Viewing Portal, the Senate has chosen to institutionalise chaos and opacity, thereby eroding public trust in the electoral process.

”This action is a slap in the face of millions of Nigerians who have tirelessly advocated for greater transparency and accountability in our elections.

”We vividly recall the turmoil, disputes, and widespread manipulation that characterised the 2023 general elections—events that stemmed directly from the failure to fully implement electronic transmission of results.

”Nigerians were fed excuses of a fabricated “glitch” that never existed, while the will of the people was blatantly subverted. This latest move by the Senate only serves to entrench the same systems that enable electoral malpractice.

The group maintained that, “this failure to pass a clear safeguard is nothing short of a deliberate assault on Nigeria’s democracy. By rejecting these essential transparency measures, they are eroding the very foundation of credible elections.”

Equally, RULAAC described the Senate’s handling of the amendment bill as a deliberate attempt to weaken democratic safeguards.

In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, the organisation alleged that rejecting mandatory electronic transmission of election results represented a rollback of democratic progress achieved through years of civic advocacy.

RULAAC argued that electronic transmission remains one of the most effective tools for preventing ballot snatching, result alteration and post-election disputes.

The group also criticised the proposed reduction of electoral timelines, warning that compressed preparation periods could weaken transparency, create logistical challenges and disadvantage voters.

“This is not legislative oversight; it is legislative sabotage,” the organisation stated, adding that Nigeria’s democracy risks further decline if electoral reforms are diluted.

The group urged civil society organisations, labour unions, youth movements and other stakeholders to mobilise public advocacy to ensure that the final version of the amendment strengthens electoral integrity.

Samson Itodo of Yiaga Africa noted that the Nigerian Senate @SenateNGR rejected electronic transmission of results, blocked the download of electronic voter cards from INEC website, reduced notice of election from 360 days to 180 days, cuts down timeline for publishing list of candidates from 150 days to 60 days.

“These compressed timelines will increase the risk of logistics problems during elections.

“What the Senate passed today is not reform. It’s a betrayal of public trust and a deliberate attempt to weaken all the guardrails for credible elections,” Itodo regretted.

He observed that the Senate’s position sharply contrasts with the progressive position taken by the House of Reps @HouseNGR, adding , “We hope the Conference committee will reject the Senate’s position and restore the progressive provisions that will make votes count in 2027.”

Similarly, Emmanuel Onwubiko of HURIWA observed that with the passage of the Bill by the Senate and the rejection of the real-time electronic transmission of results from polling units, the far-reaching implication was that those same flaws witnessed in the controversial 2023 general election such as the falsification of results, had not been addressed in this new amendments.

“How to ensure election transparency is to make a law compelling INEC to transmit results from polling units in real -time. The excuse that telecommunications networks are too poor in some areas of Nigeria is a very shallow excuse which is untenable and constitute an absolute nonsense.

“This rejection of real-time electronic transmission of results would also encourage election apathy on a very massive scale since most Nigerians would conclude that failure to give the entire country the real-time upload and transparent transmission of results could allow crooked electoral officials and their corrupt politically exposed persons to manipulate the results to reach a predetermined and falsified conclusion.

“The proposed Electoral Act 2025 is expected  by Nigerians to introduce wide-ranging reforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s electoral governance, enhancing the independence of INEC, and promoting greater transparency and accountability across political and electoral processes,” he added.

A gubernatorial aspirant under the platform of PDP in Oyo State, Amb. Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, described the development as an attempt to rig the 2027 general elections. Oguntoyinbo warned that the move was another way to take Nigeria backward.

The PDP chieftain said this in a press statement issued in Ibadan, yesterday.

He said Nigerians are not comfortable with the rejection by the Senate.

He tasked the Senate President to revisit the amendment, saying, “Nigerians are not comfortable to hear that there is no electronic transmission of results in the Electoral Act or that it is optional, you can use it, or you cannot use it. No. The Electronic Transmission of Results should be made compulsory for INEC.

“We should not return to the era of ballot box snatching. The lawmakers should help INEC to deliver a free, fair, credible and well accepted results. The Senate must ensure that those who govern the country are people duly elected by the people. And the only way this can be done is to tidy up the Electoral Act and avoid ambiguity in its draft.”