Credible polls at risk without e-transmission law, says Ezekwesili

Founder of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili has expressed strong confidence in electronic transmission of election results as a decisive measure to curb electoral manipulation in Nigeria.

“If we use this electronic system properly, nobody will be able to alter results or engage in manipulation,” said the former Minister of Education in a statement on Tuesday, as she urged stakeholders to prioritise transparency in the electoral process.

While stressing that democracy belongs to the citizens and not to political office holders, the former Vice President of the World Bank accused some members of the Senate of attempting to undermine electoral transparency by opposing moves to make electronic transmission of election results mandatory in law.

Ezekwesili alleged that certain lawmakers were plotting to frustrate reforms that would guarantee real-time electronic transmission of results directly from polling units, warning that such resistance could weaken public trust in the country’s democratic institutions.

According to her, the process of e-transmission is straightforward and has already been successfully implemented in previous off-cycle elections across the country.

She explained that with e-transmission, once voting concludes at a polling unit, results are entered into the prescribed Form EC8A, signed by the presiding officer and party agents, and subsequently uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission Result Viewing Portal for public access.

She maintained that making electronic transmission mandatory would significantly reduce opportunities for manipulation of results and ultimately curb electoral malpractice.

The former Education Minister argued that failure to enshrine e-transmission in law would leave room for discretionary actions capable of eroding public confidence in the electoral system. She warned that if votes do not count transparently, corruption and poor governance would persist.

Citing previous elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states, Ezekwesili noted that the e-transmission system recorded a high success rate and improved public confidence in the process, describing the experience as evidence that the technology is workable when properly deployed.

She, therefore, called on lawmakers to support clear legal provisions that would make electronic transmission of results compulsory, urging Nigerians to demand greater transparency and accountability in the country’s electoral system

Ezekwesili reiterated that credible elections remain the foundation of a stable democracy and insisted that reforms aimed at strengthening the integrity of the ballot must not be compromised.