2027 Reforms: Lawmakers Dismiss Claims Of Electronic Voting Shift
By IFEOMA IZUCHUKWU
Senate Explains Limits of Electronic Transmission in Electoral Bill Review
THE Senate has clarified that the electronic transmission of election results does not amount to electronic voting, stating that Nigeria has yet to adopt an e-voting system and that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) currently lacks the capacity to conduct one.
Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Panel on the Review of the 2026 Electoral Bill, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, made the clarification during an interview on Arise News, addressing what he described as widespread misconceptions surrounding proposed amendments to the electoral law.
According to him, electronic transmission of results and e-voting are fundamentally different processes, and conflating the two has created unnecessary political tension ahead of the 2027 general elections.
IReV Not a Voting Platform
Adegbonmire explained that the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) is not a platform for voting or vote collation but a portal designed to display results already manually counted and declared at polling units.
He noted that under the current system, presiding officers are required to manually fill Form EC8A after counting votes at polling units. Only after the form is signed and countersigned by party agents can the results be uploaded to IReV.
“Whether we call it upload, transfer, or transmission, it does not change the fact that results are first manually counted and recorded,” he said.
He stressed that neither the Senate nor the House of Representatives versions of the Electoral Bill permit collation of results directly from IReV. The legally recognised document for collation remains Form EC8A.
Real-Time Clause Sparks Debate
The primary difference between the Senate and House versions of the bill lies in the inclusion of a “real-time” transmission clause in the House draft.
Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Adebayo Balogun, confirmed that both chambers support electronic transmission but clarified that IReV results would not replace physical collation documents.
He explained that even in the House version, the presiding officer must first manually enter results before electronic transmission occurs.
The Senate version, meanwhile, allows mandatory electronic transmission but retains provisions for manual collation in cases of technical failure, including network disruptions.
Adegbonmire argued that legislative language cannot reconfigure INEC’s existing software systems and warned against misrepresenting the Senate’s position as opposing electronic transparency.
Logistical Realities and Electoral Reform
The senator also highlighted logistical challenges in conducting elections nationwide. Using Ondo State as an example, he explained that voting does not begin simultaneously across all polling units due to transportation constraints, terrain, and security factors.
“In some riverine areas, materials are transported by boat, and voting may start much later than in urban centres,” he said.
He maintained that such realities must inform electoral reforms rather than unrealistic expectations of simultaneous digital processes.
PFN Warns Against Early Politicking
Meanwhile, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has cautioned politicians against premature campaigning ahead of 2027, urging leaders to focus on governance, insecurity, and economic hardship.
At a press briefing in Lagos, PFN President Bishop Wale Oke expressed concern that political attention appears to have shifted toward electioneering despite INEC not declaring the campaign season open.
“For goodness’ sake, let’s govern,” Oke said, urging leaders to prioritise service delivery over early political manoeuvring.
Support for Credible Elections
While backing electronic transmission of results as a means of enhancing transparency, the PFN emphasised that credible elections are central to Nigeria’s democracy.
The fellowship rejected calls to remove the INEC Chairman over public comments, defending his right to participate in national discourse as a citizen.
PFN also reaffirmed its non-partisan stance, stating that church pulpits would not be used for political endorsements.
Beyond electoral issues, the body called for urgent action on insecurity, hunger, infrastructure deficits, and constitutional reform, advocating for a more inclusive and neutral constitutional framework.
As debate over electoral amendments continues, lawmakers insist that transparency measures remain intact, even as Nigeria stops short of full electronic voting.
