Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Nigerian Senate over its reported rejection of real-time electronic transmission of election results, describing the move as a major setback for electoral transparency and democratic credibility ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his media office, Atiku said the Senate’s action signals an unwillingness by the ruling political establishment to subject Nigeria’s elections to public scrutiny. According to him, rejecting compulsory real-time electronic transmission raises serious concerns about the government’s commitment to conducting free, fair, and credible elections.
The former presidential candidate, now a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), argued that real-time electronic transmission of results is a non-partisan democratic safeguard designed to reduce human interference, limit result manipulation, and ensure that votes cast at polling units are accurately reflected in final outcomes.
“At a time when democracies across the world are strengthening their electoral systems through technology, the Nigerian Senate has chosen to cling to opacity, protect loopholes, and preserve a system that has historically enabled manipulation, tampering, and post-election disputes,” Atiku said.
He described the Senate’s reported decision as an “ill-advised action” and “a calculated blow against transparency, credibility, and public trust in Nigeria’s democratic process,” warning that it reinforces a pattern in which reforms that promote openness are resisted, while ambiguities that favour incumbency are retained.
Atiku further stated that reverting to the 2022 provision on electronic transmission of results amounts to a refusal to allow elections to be fully transparent, stressing that democracy must evolve with time, technology, and the expectations of the electorate.
“Elections must be decided by voters—not by manual delays, backroom alterations, or procedural excuses,” he said, calling on Nigerians, civil society organisations, the media, and the international community to remain vigilant and continue to demand electoral reforms that meet modern democratic standards.
However, the Senate has denied reports that it rejected electronic transmission of election results during consideration of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill. The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, dismissed the claims shortly after the upper chamber passed the bill following a marathon plenary session that lasted about four and a half hours.
Despite the Senate’s clarification, Atiku insisted that Nigeria deserves elections that are transparent, verifiable, and beyond manipulation, warning that anything less would amount to an injustice to voters and a betrayal of democracy.
