E-Transmission: Is APC Afraid of e-Transmission of Election Results?

The rejection of real time E-transmission of election results by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-dominated National Assembly appears to be proof that the party that called for electronic voting in the 2015 elections is apprehensive about the potential results of the general election in 2027.

Since the rejection, writings about how the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the country’s opposition party at the time and the party of current President Bola Tinubu, called for Nigeria to adopt electronic voting to guarantee the integrity of its elections have been making a comeback online. Later, the ACN changed into the APC, as you may remember.

Join our WhatsApp Community

The ACN stated in a statement made by Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the National Publicity Secretary at the time, that electronic voting would result in a lower overall election cost and political stability.

The party also stated that the warlike atmosphere typically associated with elections would vanish and the importance of security services’ engagement would be downplayed, alluding to the massive deployment of security personnel during elections.

In addition to calling on the federal government to give INEC all the resources it needs to make electronic voting a reality, the ACN acknowledged that Section 52(2) of the Electoral Act currently prohibits the use of E-transmission and urged the National Assembly to act swiftly to change that provision.

The party called for elections to be held so that Nigerians, not the courts, could make the final decision.

It is regrettable that, around 13 years later, President Tinubu and the APC oppose E-transmission, a cutting-edge technology designed to improve the legitimacy of elections.

The people’s desires were not met by the APC-dominated National Assembly in spite of all the agitations.

Join our WhatsApp Community