Major opposition parties in Nigeria, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), have criticised the Senate over its rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results.
The parties reacted to the Senate’s decision on Wednesday to reject an amendment to Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Amendment Bill, which sought to make it compulsory for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit election results electronically.
Instead, the Senate resolved to allow INEC the discretion to determine whether election results would be transmitted in real time.
The decision has generated widespread reactions, with many Nigerians accusing the lawmakers, particularly Senate President Godswill Akpabio, of attempting to undermine future elections in favour of President Bola Tinubu.
In a joint statement issued on Thursday and signed by the spokespersons of the PDP, ADC and NNPP, Ini Ememobong, Bolaji Abdullahi and Ladipo Johnson, the opposition parties accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Senate of deliberately preserving loopholes that could enable electoral manipulation.
They described the Senate’s action as anti-democratic and warned that it could reverse Nigeria’s democratic progress.
“With this anti-people and anti-democratic action, we are concerned that the APC-led Senate may have set Nigeria’s democracy back by many decades,” the statement said.
According to the parties, the ruling party’s fear of defeat at the polls has made the conduct of free and fair elections a threat to its political survival.
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The opposition parties said the decision compelled them to jointly speak out, noting that it has serious implications for the credibility of future elections and Nigeria’s democratic system.
They also questioned the ruling party’s opposition to electronic transmission of results despite its use of technology for internal processes.
“We are at a loss as to why a party that is deploying technology for electronic registration of its members nationwide is unwilling to adopt the same technology for the transmission of election results,” the statement added.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.
