JUST IN: Senate Reveals Why Real-Time Electronic Transmission Of Results Was Removed
The Senate has explained that it removed the “real-time” requirement for electronic transmission of election results in the proposed 2026 Electoral Bill due to Nigeria’s poor network coverage and unreliable power supply.
Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District and serving as Senate Leader, disclosed this in a statement issued through his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs on Sunday.
Bamidele said the Senate had earlier rejected Clause 60(3) of the bill, which mandated that presiding officers “shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time.”
According to him, the clause was later redrafted to retain electronic transmission of results while removing the “real-time” provision.
He described the original clause as an initiative that many legislatures globally would ordinarily embrace but noted that lawmakers had to weigh Nigeria’s infrastructural realities before taking a final decision.
Citing data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Bamidele said broadband coverage in 2025 stood at about 70 percent, while internet penetration was 44.53 percent of the population.
He also referenced the Speedtest Global Index, which ranked Nigeria 85th out of 105 countries in mobile network reliability and 129th out of 150 countries in fixed broadband reliability.
According to him, Nigeria’s mobile network speed averaged 44.14 megabits per second, significantly lower than countries such as the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Bulgaria.
In fixed broadband rankings, Nigeria recorded 33.32 mbps, far below countries like Singapore, the UAE, France, Chile, and Hong Kong.
The Senate Leader further pointed to power supply challenges, noting that about 85 million Nigerians roughly 43 percent of the population lack access to grid electricity.
Although generation capacity is estimated between 12,000 and 13,500 megawatts, he said only about 4,500 megawatts can be delivered to households nationwide due to distribution and transmission limitations.
Bamidele warned that enforcing real-time transmission under such conditions could create instability, stressing that lawmakers must align legislation with existing capabilities rather than public sentiment.
He added that the revised provision seeks to balance transparency concerns with the country’s infrastructural constraints.
