Southern, Middle Belt Leaders Demand Real-Time Electronic Transmission Of Election Results

The Southern and Middle Belt Leadership Forum has demanded that the 2026 Electoral Amendment Bill retain the compulsory real-time electronic transmission of election results, warning that any attempt to remove the provision would undermine Nigeria’s democracy.

The group, in a statement issued on Monday and signed by its leaders, said Clause 60 of the bill, as passed by the House of Representatives and harmonised by the National Assembly’s Joint Conference Committee, must not be altered.

The statement was signed by the Leader of the SMBLF and Afenifere leader, Oba Oladipo Olaitan; the President of the Middle Belt Forum, Dr Bitrus Pogu; the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator John Azuta-Mbata; and the National Chairman of PANDEF, Ambassador Godknows Igali.

According to a statement made available to journalists in Kaduna, the SMBLF insisted that free, fair, and transparent elections remain the foundation of democratic governance.

It warned that weakening electoral safeguards amounted to an attack on Nigerians’ sovereignty.

The forum hinged its position on the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal, IReV, which it said was designed to allow citizens view polling unit results in real time and eliminate manipulation.

“When properly backed by law, IReV removes secrecy, manipulation and post-election confusion,” the statement read, adding that electronic transmission would restore public confidence in the electoral process.

The SMBLF, however, expressed concern about claims that the Senate tampered with the final version of the bill by removing the clause mandating real-time transmission of results.

According to the group, several senators had openly affirmed, both in executive sessions and on the floor, that they voted in favour of compulsory electronic transmission, only for a different version of the bill to emerge.

It cited the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, as publicly stating that the Senate passed a bill mandating electronic transmission. “What later surfaced was not what the Senate approved,” the group quoted Abaribe as saying.

Describing the development as “unacceptable in a democratic legislature,” the SMBLF warned that Nigerians would resist any attempt to impose an altered law on them.

The group recalled the 2023 presidential election petition, noting that the Supreme Court relied on Section 60(5) of the 2022 Electoral Act, which made electronic transmission optional.

It said the apex court’s ruling that transmission was at INEC’s discretion exposed a loophole that must not be repeated.

“The law must be clear, firm and mandatory,” the statement stressed.

The forum dismissed arguments that poor telecom coverage would hinder electronic transmission, noting that INEC had explained that the BVAS device could store results offline and upload them once connectivity was restored.

“This was proven during the 2023 general elections, until the system was deliberately sabotaged during the presidential poll, as most Nigerians believe,” the SMBLF said.

It argued that compulsory electronic transmission would prevent vote manipulation, protect votes in vulnerable communities, reduce post-election violence, and compel leaders to respect the electorate.

Linking flawed elections to insecurity, the group cited the recent massacre of over 100 persons in Woro, Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, alongside widespread killings and kidnappings nationwide.

“If leaders were certain that votes truly counted, such reckless, negligent and indifferent governance would not thrive,” the statement added, demanding justice for the victims and renewed calls for state police and restructuring based on the 2014 National Conference recommendations.