February 5, 2026 8:30pm
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says the senate’s decision to reject real-time electronic transmission of election results undermines transparency and public trust in Nigeria’s democracy.
During the consideration of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, the red chamber rejected proposals for real-time results transmission and a 10-year ban on vote buyers, opting instead to maintain existing sanctions of fines or jail terms.
The senate also retained the provision for electronic transfer of election results as contained in the Electoral 2022 Act.
In a post on his X page on Thursday, Abubakar described the decision as a “deliberate assault on electoral transparency”.
He said the action represents a “grave setback for electoral reform and a calculated blow against transparency, credibility, and public trust in Nigeria’s democratic process”.
Abubakar said while democracies around the world are strengthening elections through technology, Nigeria’s lawmakers have “chosen to cling to opacity, protect loopholes, and preserve a system that has historically enabled manipulation, tampering, and post-election disputes”.
He said real-time electronic transmission of results is not a partisan demand, but a safeguard that limits human interference and protects the will of voters.
“To reject it, and adopt what is obviously a face-saving provision of the 2022 Act on electronic transmission of results is to signal an unwillingness to submit elections to public scrutiny,” he said.
The former vice-president said the development raises concerns about the commitment of the political establishment to credible elections in 2027.
“Nigerians cannot ignore the pattern: every reform that strengthens transparency is resisted, while every ambiguity that benefits incumbency is preserved,” he said.
Abubakar said democracy must evolve with technology and the expectations of citizens.
“Elections must be decided by voters, not by manual delays, backroom alterations, procedural excuses or even by the courts, which section is shamelessly standing on the mandate of the incumbent,” he said.
The former vice-president called on Nigerians, civil society groups, the media, and the international community to oppose what he described as democratic regression.
“Nigeria deserves elections that are transparent, verifiable, and beyond manipulation,” Abubakar said.
“Anything less is an injustice to the electorate and a betrayal of democracy.”
