Amid the e-transmission of election results controversy, an erstwhile Cross River State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Mike Igini, has revealed why most members of the National Assembly may lose their seats come 2027 general elections.
Igini, in a statement, urged senators and members of the House of Representatives to draw lessons from the fate of their predecessors, who, he said, suffered electoral defeat after refusing to close well-known loopholes in the nation’s electoral framework.
“As the National Assembly convenes to reconcile the divergent versions of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill—particularly with regard to the unequivocal demand by the Nigerian populace for mandatory electronic transmission of election results directly from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing Portal, IReV, I urge Honourable and Distinguished Senators to heed the salutary lessons from the misfortunes that befell their predecessors,” he said.
According to him, earlier Assemblies, for reasons of convenience and party loyalty, declined to address well-documented election rigging vulnerabilities in the law, including the kind of proviso now introduced by the Senate to qualify direct electronic transmission.
The former INEC REC stated that a majority of incumbent legislators denied party tickets by governors and party leaders—even after securing alternative platforms—were defeated during collation through manipulation of polling unit results.
He backed his warning with data showing persistently high turnover rates in both chambers of the National Assembly.
In the Senate, the Sixth Senate (2007–2011) returned only 23 of 109 members, with 86 new entrants—representing a 79 per cent turnover. The Seventh Senate recorded 67 per cent turnover; the Eighth, 64 per cent; and the Ninth, 59 per cent.
“Alarmingly, the current 10th Senate (2023–2027) has regressed sharply, with only 25 returning Senators and 84 new entrants—translating to a staggering 77 per cent turnover,” he noted.
The House of Representatives, he said, mirrors the same instability. The Sixth House recorded 78 per cent turnover; the Seventh, 72 per cent; the Eighth, 69.4 per cent; and the Ninth, 57 per cent.
E-transmission: Former REC, Igini reveals why most NASS members may lose seats in 2027
