By Nworisa Michael
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly criticised the Nigerian Senate over its decision to reject a proposed amendment seeking to make the electronic transmission of election results compulsory.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, Atiku described the Senate’s action as a “deliberate assault on electoral transparency,” warning that it represents a significant setback to Nigeria’s democratic reform efforts.
According to him, the rejection undermines public trust in the electoral process and weakens confidence in the credibility of future elections, particularly as the country moves toward the 2027 general polls.
“At a time when democracies across the world are strengthening their electoral systems through technology, the Nigerian Senate has chosen to cling to opacity, protect loopholes, and preserve a system that has historically enabled manipulation and post-election disputes,” Atiku stated.
The former presidential candidate argued that real-time electronic transmission of results is a democratic safeguard rather than a partisan demand, noting that it reduces human interference, limits result manipulation, and ensures that votes cast at polling units are accurately reflected in final outcomes.
He further faulted the Senate for retaining what he described as a “face-saving” provision of the 2022 Electoral Act, which allows the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit results “in a manner prescribed by the Commission,” rather than mandating real-time uploads to the IReV portal.
Atiku said the decision raises serious concerns about the commitment of the political establishment to conduct free, fair, and credible elections, adding that reforms aimed at improving transparency are often resisted while ambiguities that favour incumbency are preserved.
He also criticized what he called excessive reliance on post-election litigation, insisting that elections should be decided by voters and not by “manual delays, backroom alterations, or procedural excuses.”
The former vice president 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 aligns with 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,” he added.