A former Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mr Mike Igini, has stressed the need for Nigeria to fully embrace electronic transmission of election results as a critical safeguard for electoral integrity and democratic accountability.
Igini stated this while delivering a keynote address at a Yiaga Africa roundtable, themed: “Electronic Transmission and Electoral Integrity: Safeguarding the Vote under the Electoral Act 2026,” on Friday in Abuja.
While noting that democracy thrives on citizens’ participation and accountability, Igini emphasised that credible, periodic elections remained the foundation for the peaceful transfer of power and the ability of citizens to shape their collective destiny.
He reaffirmed the constitutional independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, citing provisions of the 1999 Constitution that empowers the electoral body to regulate its procedures without external control.
The former REC said that INEC’s adoption of technological innovations over the years, including the Smart Card Reader and Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, marked significant progress in addressing electoral manipulation and improving transparency.
He recalled that pilot electronic transmission of results had been successfully conducted in Cross River, describing the introduction of BVAS and the INEC Result Viewing Portal, IReV, as milestones that had raised public confidence and expectations for more transparent elections.
Igini, however, expressed concern over the proviso in Section 60(3) of the Electoral Act 2026 which retains the manually-signed Form EC8A as the primary source for result collation despite electronic transmission.
He described the provision as a setback capable of undermining the gains recorded through technological reforms.
Igini referenced the Supreme Court’s characterisation of IReV as a viewing portal, maintaining that such interpretation conflicts with INEC’s constitutional powers to determine its procedures.
He warned that conditional electronic transmission could weaken transparency, contribute to voter apathy and erode public trust in the electoral process.
Highlighting the benefits of electronic transmission, Igini said real-time result uploads would enhance transparency, reduce human error and strengthen the credibility of election outcomes.
He nonetheless acknowledged the challenges, including infrastructure gaps, cybersecurity concerns and resistance from political actors.
Igini called for strategic investment in technology, stronger security safeguards and broader stakeholder engagement, urging INEC to communicate more openly with citizens on contentious electoral issues.
He also urged the judiciary to uphold the rule of law, stressing that the viability of democracy lies in a very courageous and independent judiciary that would be ready to call justice by its own name.
“Sensitivity of the law is key to the practice of democracy. Justice Ademola once said judges should not be seen to blow muted trumpets. They must stand tall and mighty in defence of democracy and the rule of law.
“Democracy without the rule of law is the coming together of vicious men to take what they want; when the court fails to hold political elites accountable, it fails,” Igini said.
E-transmission of results remains only key to electoral integrity — Ex-INEC REC, Igini
