By Abbanobi -Eku Onyeka
The Senate has revealed that empirical data guided its decision to make the electronic transmission of election results discretionary rather than mandatory in the ongoing reform of Nigeria’s electoral governance framework.
Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, explained that the decision was based on the stark realities of the country’s communication and power infrastructure, following consultations with principal actors in the country.
He made this known to media houses through his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs on Sunday
The Senate had resolved against Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Bill, 2026, which stipulates that the presiding officer “shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time…”
Bamidele noted that while the clause was a good initiative, the country’s infrastructure would not guarantee real-time electronic transmission of election results.
Citing data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Bamidele said Nigeria had only achieved about 70% broadband coverage in 2025, with internet user penetration at 44.53% of the population.
The Speedtest Global Index ranked Nigeria 85th out of 105 countries in mobile network reliability and 129th out of 150 countries in fixed internet broadband reliability.
Nigeria’s mobile network reliability was 44.14 megabits per second, extremely low compared to other countries.
The country’s fixed internet broadband rating was also low, with Nigeria occupying 129th position out of 150 countries.
Official data revealed that 85 million Nigerians lack access to grid electricity, about 43% of the population.
The Senate leader cited the state of power infrastructure, with generation capacity hovering between 12,000 and 13,500 megawatts, but distribution and transmission capacity acutely limited.
Bamidele doubted the practicability of real-time electronic transmission of election results, noting it could plunge the country into crisis.
The Senate decided to make the transmission discretionary, deleting “real time” from the clause to address concerns while capturing the realities of the federation.
