EDITORIAL: Need for compulsory electronic transmission of results in 2027

As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general elections, the nation stands at a critical democratic crossroads. While the Electoral Act 2022 introduced transformative tools like the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), a significant legal ambiguity remains: the electronic transmission of results is still largely discretionary rather than mandatory.

Giving full, unequivocal legal backing to the electronic transmission of results is not merely a technological upgrade; it is the essential missing link required to safeguard the sanctity of the Nigerian ballot.

Historically, the weakest link in Nigeria’s electoral chain has not been the polling unit, but the collation centres. It is during the physical movement of result sheets (Form EC8A) from polling units to ward, local government, and state collation centers that results are most vulnerable to doctoring, snatching, or outright replacement.

By mandating that results be transmitted electronically directly from the polling unit to a central server and the IReV portal, Nigeria can create a digital audit trail. This ensures that the numbers announced at the national level must match the data points captured immediately after the close of polls, effectively eliminating the opportunity for middle-level manipulation.

The 2023 general elections were marred by ‘technical glitches’ that prevented real-time upload of presidential results, a failure that sparked widespread skepticism and legal battles. Many Nigerians felt that the lack of a mandatory legal requirement allowed for administrative “discretion” that undermined transparency.

For the 2027 elections, legal backing would remove this discretion. When the law mandates real-time transmission, it ceases to be a best effort by INEC and becomes a statutory obligation. This certainty is vital for encouraging voter turnout; citizens are more likely to participate when they believe their votes cannot be surreptitiously changed behind closed doors.

Another cogent reason for legal backing is the role of technology in election petitions. Currently, there is often a legal tug-of-war over whether electronic data can override manual results in court. Clear legal backing would stablish electronically transmitted data as primary evidence in tribunal cases and also prevent the Supreme Court from having to navigate grey areas regarding the superiority of electronic records and paper forms.

It will also shorten the duration of election petitions by providing indisputable, time-stamped digital proof of accreditation and results.

It will also reduce violence often precipitated by thugs, who often target collation centers or transit vehicles to disrupt the process. If the result is already transmitted and locked in a secure cloud server the moment counting ends at the polling unit, the incentive for snatching physical ballot boxes or harassing collation officers is significantly reduced, because one would not need to snatch a result that has already been broadcast to the world.

With nations across Africa and the world increasingly moving toward end-to-end electronic systems to enhance credibility, Nigeria, the acclaimed Giant of Africa, needs to follow suit as depending on a manual-heavy system in 2027 would be a regression.

The debate over the electronic transmission of results is fundamentally a debate over the ownership of the vote. As long as the process remains manual and discretionary, the power to decide winners remains precariously in the hands of those who manage the paper trail.

By enshrining mandatory electronic transmission into the Electoral Act ahead of 2027, the National Assembly can return power to the Nigerian people. It is the only way to ensure that the will of the people is not lost in transit between the polling unit and the final declaration.