Senate electronic results transmission decision defended with data on broadband and power gaps, making real-time uploads discretionary in Electoral Bill

The Senate has defended its electronic results transmission decision in the ongoing review of the Electoral Bill 2026, stating that empirical data on Nigeria’s broadband and power infrastructure informed its move to make real-time transmission discretionary rather than mandatory.

Also read: Why Real-Time Transmission of Results from Over 170,000 Polling Units Is an Overreach

Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, Leader of the Senate, clarified the position in a statement issued on Sunday by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs. Senator Opeyemi Bamidele said law-making must reflect national realities rather than sentiment.

The controversy centres on Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Bill 2026, which stipulates that the presiding officer “shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time.”

The Senate resolved against retaining the mandatory “real time” requirement and instead redrafted the clause with a caveat.

Under the revised position, electronic transmission remains strengthened and encouraged. However, in the event of Internet failure, Form EC8A will serve as the primary means of result collation.

Senator Opeyemi Bamidele said the clause was, in principle, an initiative any parliament would ordinarily embrace, given its potential to deepen trust in democratic institutions, particularly the National Assembly and the Independent National Electoral Commission.

However, he argued that Nigeria’s current communications and power infrastructure could not reliably guarantee real-time uploads nationwide.

Citing data from the Nigerian Communications Commission, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele said broadband coverage stood at about 70 per cent in 2025, while Internet penetration was approximately 44.53 per cent of the population.

He also referenced the Speedtest Global Index, which ranked Nigeria 85th out of 105 countries in mobile network reliability and 129th out of 150 countries in fixed broadband reliability.

According to the index, Nigeria’s average mobile network speed was 44.14 megabits per second, significantly lower than countries such as the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait.

On power supply, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele said official data showed that at least 85 million Nigerians, roughly 43 per cent of the population, lacked access to grid electricity.

Although generation capacity ranges between 12,000 and 13,500 megawatts, distribution and transmission constraints limit actual delivery to about 4,500 megawatts nationwide.

Given these figures, he warned that making real-time electronic transmission compulsory could expose the country to avoidable instability.

“To avoid a situation that compounds our country’s woes, it is better we make it discretionary,” Senator Opeyemi Bamidele said, noting that Section 62(2) of the Electoral Act 2022 already establishes a National Electronic Register of Election Results.

He stressed that the Senate electronic results transmission decision was not a retreat from reform but a pragmatic adjustment guided by data.

“In democracy, law-making sits at the heart of public governance. It does not respond to mere emotion or sentiment, but to facts and realities that can define or distort the future of our political system,” he said.

Also read: Electronic Transmission and the Myth of a Silver Bullet

According to the Senate Leader, the deletion of the phrase “real time” from Clause 60(3) and (5) was intended to ensure that Nigeria’s electoral framework remains workable and aligned with infrastructural realities while still responding substantially to public demand for transparency.