Politics
Mandatory Electronic Transmission Rejection, Nigeria’s Democracy Setback – CISLAC
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, (CISLAC), Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Zero Corruption Coalition, and other civil society organisations have expressed deep concern over the decision of the Senate of the 10th National Assembly to reject the proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3 of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, which sought to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory in Nigeria.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition, Comrade Auwal Rafsanjani, Executive Director of CISLAC and Chairman of the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), described the Senate’s decision as a major setback to Nigeria’s democratic development and a direct affront to the collective will of Nigerians who have consistently demanded a stronger, more transparent, and credible electoral legal framework.
He noted that the decision has generated widespread shock and disappointment among Nigerians at home and in the diaspora, raising serious questions about the Senate’s commitment to genuine electoral reforms.
Comrade Rafsanjani further expressed concern that Nigeria’s political space is already under severe strain, as political parties, particularly opposition parties, are increasingly entangled in endless court cases, leadership disputes, and judicial interventions.
These developments, he noted, have created a toxic political environment that weakens internal party democracy, emasculates opposition parties, and systematically undermines political pluralism.
The persistent weaponisation of the courts against political parties, he warned, poses a grave threat to democratic stability and discourages credible opposition and meaningful political competition.
Against this backdrop, the Senate’s rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results appears to be part of a broader and deliberate pattern aimed at frustrating electoral transparency and weakening democratic institutions.
By the action, the coalition observed, the Senate has demonstrated a troubling alignment with forces that seek to manipulate electoral outcomes.
The coalition warned that under such conditions, the conduct of free, fair, and credible elections in Nigeria would become increasingly difficult, if not impossible.
According to the coalition, the rejected amendment was a direct response to the credibility challenges witnessed during the 2023 general elections, particularly the failure of electronic transmission of results to enhance transparency and public confidence.
The Supreme Court, in its judgments on post-election litigations, cited the absence of a clear legal provision mandating electronic transmission as a critical limitation.
In the aftermath of the elections, extensive consultations across the country revealed overwhelming public consensus on the urgent need to legally entrench the use of technology to strengthen electoral credibility.
Beyond the rejection of electronic transmission, Mr Rafsanjani, who is also the Board Chairman of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), condemned some other decisions taken by the Senate.
These include the reduction of the notice period for elections from 360 days to 180 days, the shortening of the timeline for publishing the list of candidates from 150 days to 60 days, and the blocking of proposals that would allow voters to download electronic voter cards from the INEC website.
Taken together, the coalition stressed, these actions amount to deliberate attempts to weaken Nigeria’s electoral law and undermine the prospects of credible elections.
The Commission disclosed the figure in its weekly update for week 14 of the second phase of the exercise, which ended on Friday, April 17, 2026.
According to the breakdown, 2,259,288 Nigerians completed their registration through the online pre-registration portal, while 1,489,416 finalized their registration physically at designated centres nationwide.
INEC noted that the figures remain preliminary and are subject to further verification and data cleaning processes to ensure accuracy ahead of the consolidation of the national voter register.
With the conclusion of the registration phase, the Commission has now shifted focus to the display of the Register of Voters for Claims and Objections, a statutory stage aimed at strengthening the credibility and integrity of the voters register.
The display exercise is scheduled to hold from April 29 to May 5, 2026, across designated centres nationwide, providing citizens the opportunity to verify their details and raise objections where necessary.
The Commission urged all registered voters from the concluded phase to take advantage of the exercise to confirm the accuracy of their information and assist in identifying ineligible entries, including duplicate registrations, deceased persons, and non-citizens.
INEC explained that the Continuous Voter Registration exercise is being conducted in phases, with the first phase running from August 18 to December 10, 2025, while the second phase commenced on January 5, 2026 and ended on April 17, 2026.
The Commission further stated that the date for the commencement of the third phase will be announced in due course.
Reaffirming its commitment to credible elections, INEC stressed that maintaining a clean and accurate voter register remains central to ensuring free, fair, and transparent electoral processes in Nigeria.
The Executive Director of IPC, Mr Lanre Arogundade, informed the journalists that the dialogue was sponsored by the European Union, under the auspices of the EU-Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN II), Component 4: Support to Media.
According to the veteran media practitioner, the programme is aimed at strengthening the capacity of the media to promote credible elections through factual, accurate and fair reporting.
He explained that the programme is part of a broader five-year intervention designed to support democratic governance and improve the role of the media in Nigeria’s electoral process, stressing that fact-checking and inclusive reporting are critical responsibilities for journalists, especially during electioneering.
He described the media as a central role agent with regard to upholding transparency and accountability in the democratic process.
A resource person and Director of Journalism Clinic, Lagos, Mr Taiwo Obe, enjoined journalists to embrace the evolving technology so that they would not be in the backwaters in the practice of the profession.
He advised journalists not to downplay Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their bid to remain relevant in the media environment by being abreast of the changing patterns of news consumption.
The journalism teacher explained that with digital transformation of the media industry, it had become imperative for journalists to constantly upgrade and update their skills, stressing the fundamental place of attitude and self-development and underscored the dynamic nature of media consumption in the digital age, thereby compelling journalists to embrace tools and platforms, but without much reliance on AI.
In his lecture, a Professor of Mass Communication at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Adebola Aderibigbe, advised journalists in Ekiti State to ensure that coverage of the upcoming governorship poll is issue-based rather than dwelling on personalities.
He added that sensationalism should not occupy the front-burner of any discussions concerning the 2026 election, admonishing that sustenance of democracy is anchored on responsible journalism.
”Journalists must prioritise accuracy, fairness and balance in their reports by verifying facts and giving all parties involved in political matters the opportunity to present their views”, he said.
According to the university don, the election will not be defined by personalities, but by issues. ”Let issues be the pivotal ring upon which every discussion should be made. Sensationalisation of issues should not be the bedrock of discussions in the 2026 election”, he added.
“Do not hear from Party A without hearing from Party B, otherwise the report will be skewed to one side and once issues of elections are skewed, problems will naturally arise”, he stressed.