ActionAid, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders have urged the Federal Government to invest in reliable technology infrastructure, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), result viewing portal, and network systems.
They said such investment is needed to support effective electronic transmission in the few blind spots.
The call was made at an expert meeting and citizens’ town hall on “Electoral Act Amendment” organized by ActionAid on Friday in Abuja.
Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Mr Andrew Mamedu, said the meeting was to deliberate on the National Assembly’s recent amendment to Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act.
Mamedu said the amendment permits presiding officers to transmit election results electronically from polling units after Form EC8A has been signed.
According to him, where electronic transmission fails, the signed Form EC8A remains the valid source of results.
Mamedu called for reforms to strengthen confidence in the electoral system, including an independent audit of technological failures recorded in previous elections.
“We had a glitch in the last presidential election regarding result transmission, and nobody has told Nigerians what happened.
“Transparency will help rebuild public trust and encourage participation in the electoral process.
“It will put more trust and confidence in the people to come out and carry out their electoral duties,” he said.
Mamedu called for collaboration among the Independent National Electoral Commission, political parties, the courts, and civil society.
This, he said, was to prevent a repeat of past challenges, including issues relating to technology deployment and legal processes.
“The country can temporarily seek external technical support if local systems cannot be fully prepared before the next election in order to mitigate infrastructure constraints,” he said.
According to him, the town hall meeting is designed to share positions and recommendations emerging from the expert meeting.
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“It also aims to engage citizens, media, and stakeholders in understanding the implications of the amendment for Nigeria’s democracy.
“It presents the expert consensus and policy recommendations from the closed-door meeting; provides clarity on the implications of Clause 60(3) for election integrity and transparency.
“It fosters informed public debate on Nigeria’s electoral reforms and ensures accountability by engaging citizens and the media in the reform process,” Mamedu said.
Public Policy Scholar Prof. Sam Amadi said the expert roundtable reaffirmed that credible elections are essential for democratic legitimacy, political stability, and good governance in Nigeria.
Amadi emphasized that electronic transmission of election results represents a major reform innovation that strengthens electoral transparency and protects the integrity of election outcomes.
He, however, said the Senate amendment might undermine electronic transmission by prioritizing manual results, thereby weakening electoral safeguards and public confidence in the process.
“Participants at the meeting emphasized that electoral reform must focus on strengthening electronic transmission, enhancing institutional independence, improving legal clarity, and addressing structural weaknesses affecting electoral integrity.
“The future of Nigeria’s democracy depends on ensuring that elections reflect the true will of the people and that electoral reforms strengthen rather than weaken democratic institutions,” he said.
Amadi identified some of the consensus reached and the way forward, including legislative advocacy, implementation of reforms to strengthen electoral institutions, policy engagement, and public awareness.
“The consensus also recommended judicial and legal reform to promote transparency, efficiency, and fairness.
“Government, civil society, political parties, judiciary, and electoral management bodies should collaborate to strengthen electoral integrity.
“Nigeria should develop a comprehensive electoral reform agenda that includes electronic voting, strengthening electoral administration, and improving electoral dispute resolution mechanisms.
“In this regard, we call on the National Assembly to conduct a public hearing on the technical glitch that happened in 2023 with witnesses under oath to prevent reoccurred,” he said.
