SENATE’S REJECTION OF REAL-TIME E-TRANSMISSION A SETBACK TO ELECTORAL REFORM

Atiku Abubakar / 2027 Strategy

SENATE’S REJECTION OF REAL-TIME E-TRANSMISSION A SETBACK TO ELECTORAL REFORM — ATIKU ABUBAKAR

February 5, 2026

Former Vice President, , has described the Nigerian Senate’s rejection of mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results as a deliberate assault on electoral transparency and a grave setback to democratic reform.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Atiku said the decision represents a calculated blow against transparency, credibility, and public trust in Nigeria’s democratic process.

The former presidential candidate criticised the Senate for declining to adopt compulsory real-time electronic transmission of results, arguing that at a time when democracies around the world are strengthening their electoral systems through technology, Nigeria appears to be clinging to provisions that preserve opacity and potential loopholes.

According to him, real-time electronic transmission of results is not a partisan demand but a democratic safeguard designed to reduce human interference, limit result manipulation, and ensure that votes cast at polling units are faithfully reflected in the final outcome.

“To reject mandatory real-time transmission and instead retain the 2022 Electoral Act provision on electronic transmission amounts to a face-saving measure that signals an unwillingness to subject elections to full public scrutiny,” the statement read.

Atiku further noted that the decision raises troubling questions about the commitment of the ruling political establishment to conducting free, fair, and credible elections in 2027.

He alleged a recurring pattern in which reforms that strengthen transparency are resisted, while ambiguities that may benefit incumbency are preserved.

The former Vice President maintained that democracy must evolve in line with technology and the legitimate expectations of citizens, stressing that elections should be determined by voters and not by manual delays, procedural excuses, or judicial interventions.

He called on Nigerians, civil society organisations, the media, and the international community to take note of what he described as a regression and to continue demanding an electoral system that meets modern democratic standards.

“Nigeria deserves elections that are transparent, verifiable, and beyond manipulation. Anything less is an injustice to the electorate and a betrayal of democracy,” Atiku stated.

Aare Amerijoye

Aare Amerijoye Donald Olalekan Temitope Bowofade (DOT.B) is a Nigerian political strategist, public intellectual, and writer. He serves as the Director-General of The Narrative Force (TNF), a strategic communication and political-education organisation committed to shaping ideas, narratives, and democratic consciousness in Nigeria.An indigene of Ekiti State, he was born in Osogbo, then Oyo State, now Osun State, and currently resides in Ekiti State. His political and civic engagement spans several decades. In the 1990s, he was actively involved in Nigeria’s human-rights and pro-democracy struggles, participating in organisations such as Human Rights Africa and the Nigerianity Movement among many others, where he worked under the leadership of Dr. Tunji Abayomi during the nation’s fight for democratic restoration.Between 2000 and 2002, he served as Assistant Organising Secretary of Ekiti Progressives and the Femi Falana Front, under Barrister Femi Falana (SAN), playing a key role in grassroots mobilisation, civic education, and progressive political advocacy.He has since served in government and party politics in various capacities, including Senior Special Assistant to the Ekiti State Governor on Political Matters and Inter-Party Relations, Secretary to the Local Government, and Special Assistant on Youth Mobilisation and Strategy. At the national level, he has been a member of various nationally constituted party and electoral committees, including the PDP Presidential Campaign Council Security Committee (2022) and the Ondo State 2024 election committee.Currently, he is a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and serves as Secretary of the Ekiti State ADC Strategic Committee, where he plays a central role in party structuring, strategy, and grassroots coordination.Aare Amerijoye writes extensively on governance, leadership ethics, party politics, and national renewal. His essays and commentaries have been published in Nigerian Tribune, Punch, The Guardian, THISDAY, TheCable, and leading digital platforms. His work blends philosophical depth with strategic clarity, advancing principled politics anchored on truth, justice, and moral courage.

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