AfriPulse
President Bola Tinubu has justified his decision to sign the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) into law, arguing that the integrity of elections depends more on effective human management than on the compulsory real-time electronic transmission of results.
Speaking on Wednesday shortly after assenting to the bill at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the President addressed the heated debate surrounding whether election results must be uploaded live from polling units.
“It’s not as important as the history aspects of this. What is crucial is the fact that you manage the process to the extent there will be no confusion, no disenfranchisement of Nigerians, and that we are all going to see democracy flourish,” he said.
Tinubu maintained that no technological system can operate independently of the people who administer it, stressing that elections remain fundamentally human-driven exercises.
“No matter how good the system is, it’s managed by the people, promoted by the people, and the result is finalised by the people,” the President said.
Read also: Naira slumps, drops N2.15 against dollar at official FX market
On the contentious issue of electronic transmission, he emphasised that computers would not determine final outcomes, as accredited officials remain responsible for announcing results.
He stated, “In fact, for final results, you are not going to be talking to the computer; you are going to be talking to human beings who will announce the final results.
“And when you look at the crux of various arguments, maybe Nigerians should question our broadband capability. How technically are we today? How technically will we be tomorrow to answer the call of either real-time or not?”
Reinforcing his position, Tinubu pointed out that voting procedures in Nigeria are still largely manual, from accreditation to counting.
“And as long as you appear personally, as a manual voter in any polling booth, a ballot paper is given to you manually, you decide in a corner and thumbprint the person of your choice, you cast your votes, without hindrance and any interference, ballots are subsequently counted manually, sorted, and counted manually,” Tinubu added.
According to the President, electronic transmission simply conveys figures already recorded through manual collation.
“It’s just the arithmetic accuracy that is to enter into Form EC8A. It’s the manual, essentially. The transmission of that manual result is what we’re looking at.
“And we need to avoid glitches — I’m glad you did — interference, unnecessary hacking in this age of computer inquisitiveness.
“Nigeria will be there. We will flourish. We will continue to nurture this democracy for the fulfillment of our dream for the prosperity and stability of our country,” the President added.
The amendment had generated intense debate in recent weeks, particularly over whether results should be mandatorily transmitted in real time from polling units to the central server of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
While the House of Representatives initially supported compulsory real-time electronic transmission, the Senate adopted a version that retained electronic transmission but provided for manual collation in the event of technical failure.
The Senate’s position sparked protests and disagreements within the National Assembly, especially over the wording of Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act.
Under the final version signed into law, results are to be electronically transmitted after Form EC8A is completed, signed and stamped at polling units. However, where network issues or technological failures occur, the manually endorsed result sheet will serve as the basis for collation and declaration.
Source: RipplesNigeria | Read the Full Story…
