{"id":8720,"date":"2026-02-16T14:06:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T14:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/?p=8720"},"modified":"2026-02-16T14:06:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T14:06:08","slug":"electronic-transmission-of-election-results-senate-cites-infrastructure-gaps-in-electoral-bill-2026-amendment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/16\/electronic-transmission-of-election-results-senate-cites-infrastructure-gaps-in-electoral-bill-2026-amendment\/","title":{"rendered":"Electronic Transmission of Election Results: Senate Cites Infrastructure Gaps in Electoral Bill 2026 Amendment"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Senate has defended its decision to make electronic transmission of election results<\/strong> discretionary rather than mandatory in the Electoral Bill 2026, citing Nigeria\u2019s communication and power infrastructure constraints.<\/p>\n

In a statement issued by the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said the amendment was guided by empirical data\u2014not sentiment\u2014reflecting the country\u2019s infrastructural realities.<\/p>\n

\n

Why Electronic Transmission of Election Results Was Modified<\/h2>\n

The upper chamber reviewed Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Bill 2026, which proposed that presiding officers \u201cshall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following deliberations, lawmakers deleted the phrase \u201creal time\u201d and inserted a provision allowing Form EC8A to serve as the primary means of collation where internet access fails.<\/p>\n

Bamidele explained that while real-time electronic transmission of election results<\/strong> could enhance transparency and public trust, implementation challenges remain significant.<\/p>\n

\n

NCC Data Influenced Senate\u2019s Decision<\/h2>\n

Citing figures from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Senate leader said Nigeria recorded about 70 percent broadband coverage in 2025, while internet penetration stood at 44.53 percent of the population.<\/p>\n

He also referenced the Speedtest Global Index, which ranked Nigeria:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • 85th out of 105 countries in mobile network reliability<\/li>\n
  • 129th out of 150 countries in fixed broadband reliability<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Mobile speeds averaged 44.14 Mbps, while fixed broadband stood at 33.32 Mbps\u2014below global benchmarks.<\/p>\n

    According to Bamidele, mandating real-time electronic transmission of election results<\/strong> under these conditions could create logistical bottlenecks during nationwide polls.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Power Supply Constraints Add to Concerns<\/h2>\n

    Beyond connectivity, the Senate highlighted electricity limitations as a key factor.<\/p>\n

    Approximately 85 million Nigerians\u2014about 43 percent of the population\u2014lack access to grid power. Although installed generation capacity ranges between 12,000 and 13,500 megawatts, only around 4,500 megawatts are deliverable due to transmission and distribution challenges.<\/p>\n

    Bamidele argued that inconsistent electricity supply could further complicate mandatory electronic result uploads, especially in rural and underserved areas.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Balancing Transparency with Practical Realities<\/h2>\n

    The Senate maintained that the revised Clause 60(3 & 5) preserves provisions for electronic transmission of election results<\/strong>, while allowing flexibility in cases of technical failure.<\/p>\n

    According to Bamidele, effective lawmaking must align with institutional capacity, technological readiness, electoral logistics, digital infrastructure, broadband penetration, power reliability, statutory compliance, operational feasibility, democratic stability, legislative prudence, governance accountability, network coverage, transmission resilience, rural connectivity, public confidence, electoral integrity, administrative efficiency, and constitutional safeguards.<\/p>\n

    He warned that legislation detached from prevailing realities could inadvertently destabilize the electoral process.<\/p>\n

    As debate continues over the future of electronic transmission of election results, the Senate insists its approach reflects a pragmatic balance between reform ambitions and infrastructural capability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Senate defends making electronic transmission of election results discretionary in Electoral Bill 2026, citing broadband and power gaps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8723,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35,36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-politics"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8720"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8720"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8724,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8720\/revisions\/8724"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}