The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has said Nigeria is not prepared for mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results due to gaps in communications and power infrastructure.
Bamidele stated this in a statement issued on Sunday by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, following debates surrounding Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Bill, 2026.
The Senate had initially resolved against Clause 60(3) of the bill, which provides that the presiding officer “shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time.”
The upper chamber later reviewed the clause and retained electronic transmission but introduced a caveat that, where there is internet failure, the manual result sheet, Form EC8A, would serve as the primary means of collation.
Bamidele described Clause 60(3) as “an initiative that any legislature or parliament globally will have embraced ordinarily,” but insisted that Nigeria’s current infrastructure presents significant challenges.
Citing data from the Nigerian Communications Commission, the Senate leader said broadband coverage stood at about 70 per cent in 2025, while internet penetration was 44.53 per cent of the population.
Referencing the Speedtest Global Index, he noted that Nigeria ranked 85th out of 105 countries in mobile network reliability and 129th out of 150 countries in fixed broadband reliability.
He said, “Based on the Speedtest Global Index, Nigeria’s mobile network reliability was 44.14 megabits per second.
“This is extremely low compared with the UAE, which has 691.76 Mbps; Qatar with 573.53 Mbps; Kuwait’s 415.67 Mbps; Bahrain’s 303.21 Mbps; and Bulgaria’s 289.41 Mbps. The Index placed Nigeria far below the global average.
“Nigeria’s fixed internet broadband rating is quite low by the global standard. Out of 150 countries, Nigeria occupied 129th position with only 33.32 Mbps.”
Bamidele further argued that power supply challenges also undermine the feasibility of compulsory real-time uploads nationwide.
He said at least 85 million Nigerians lack access to grid electricity, representing about 43 per cent of the population.
“This shortfall speaks to the state of our power infrastructure,” he added.
