Nigerian Watchdog Warns on Electronic Election Results

- The core of the issue stems from the 2023 presidential election, where the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to upload polling unit results for the presidential race to its Results Viewing Portal (IReV) in real-time, despite successfully doing so for the National Assembly elections held the same day. This led to widespread accusations of result manipulation and eroded public trust. - Nigeria's Electoral Act of 2022 allows for electronic transmission but does not make it mandatory, giving INEC discretion over the method. The Supreme Court later affirmed that because the law did not compel electronic transmission, INEC was not legally bound to use it, and manual results (Form EC8A) remained the primary legal basis for collation. - Proposed amendments to the Electoral Act are at the center of a new debate. The House of Representatives' version mandates real-time electronic transmission, while the Senate's version includes a proviso allowing for manual collation if electronic transmission fails, a loophole critics say can be easily exploited. - Mike Igini, the former Resident Electoral Commissioner for Akwa Ibom and Cross River states, argues that making electronic transmission optional leaves lawmakers vulnerable. He points to high turnover rates in the National Assembly—77% in the Senate and 78% in the House in recent cycles—as evidence that incumbents without the protection of transparent, real-time results can be easily manipulated out of their seats during manual collation if they lose favor with party leaders. - The technology in question is the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), a device used to accredit voters via fingerprint and facial recognition. After votes are counted and recorded on a physical form (EC8A), the BVAS is supposed to be used to photograph the form and upload it to the public IReV portal. - Igini and others dismiss network failure as a valid excuse for not transmitting results electronically, citing a joint INEC and Nigerian Communications Commission survey before the 2023 elections that found over 97% network coverage. They also note that INEC had successfully transmitted results in over 100 off-cycle elections prior to the general election. - After a decade with INEC, Igini recently expressed regret, stating his efforts were "in vain" due to systemic resistance to fair elections. He highlighted the severe personal risks involved, referencing a colleague in Kano who was murdered along with his family for attempting to ensure a credible process.