As debates intensify over proposed amendments to Nigeria’s Electoral Act, the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) has called for a cautious, inclusive, and evidence-based approach to reforms, particularly regarding technology-driven solutions like electronic transmission of results.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, Executive Director Ezenwa Nwagwu stressed that while electronic transmission is desirable and necessary, it must be grounded in Nigeria’s existing communication infrastructure to avoid excluding citizens in rural or underserved areas. “Our elections cannot be better than the infrastructure they rely on,” he said.
Nwagwu noted that although millions of Nigerians are registered on 4G networks, connectivity remains largely urban-centered, raising concerns about feasibility in remote communities. He warned against designing reforms from an “urban elite perspective,” urging policymakers to confront Nigeria’s geographical and infrastructural realities honestly.
PAACA recommended a coordinated assessment involving INEC, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy to map areas with varying levels of network coverage. This, Nwagwu argued, would provide clarity on where real-time transmission is possible and where alternative mechanisms are needed.
While reiterating support for electronic transmission and collation, he cautioned that uploading results without real-time computation does not fully address the integrity challenges of collation. “If you continue to take compromised results from polling units and upload them into a portal that does not collate and compute results in real time, then we have not made much change,” he explained.
PAACA also expressed concern over repeated amendments to the Electoral Act ahead of almost every general election, warning that constant tinkering without deep reflection could undermine stability. Nwagwu emphasized that reforms must be guided by a clear understanding of the problems they are meant to solve, rather than being reactive or politically motivated.
He welcomed growing public interest in electoral reforms, describing it as a healthy sign for democratic governance, but insisted that such interest must translate into well-thought-out changes that strengthen rather than strain Nigeria’s democracy.
By Michael Oche, Abuja
