Former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, has said making electronic transmission of election results mandatory will not, on its own, guarantee free and fair elections in Nigeria.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Sani addressed the growing controversy surrounding the National Assembly’s refusal to make real-time electronic transmission a compulsory component of the amended Electoral Act.
Public outrage has intensified in Abuja following the Senate’s decision. On Tuesday, both chambers of the National Assembly witnessed rowdy sessions, with some lawmakers staging a walkout during plenary.
Many civil society groups and political stakeholders argue that mandatory electronic transmission of election results would strengthen transparency and credibility in Nigeria’s electoral process.
However, Sani believes technology alone cannot fix deeper systemic problems.
‘Technology Cannot Replace Political Will’
According to him, while electronic transmission can enhance transparency, it cannot substitute for political will and institutional integrity.
“If we are interested in election techniques, that does not mean that when we have electronic transfer of results there will be no manipulation. It all depends on what we want to do as a country with our electoral system,” he said.
He warned that individuals determined to manipulate elections will always attempt to exploit loopholes, regardless of the system in place.
Sani pointed to persistent voter inducement as evidence that electoral malpractice is rooted in human behaviour rather than the mechanics of result collation.
He stressed that focusing solely on technology risks ignoring structural and ethical weaknesses within the electoral framework.
Despite his reservations, the former lawmaker clarified that he supports electronic transmission of election results. However, he insisted the law must provide room for manual collation where technical failures occur.
“Election takes place in one day and it is expected that results will be transmitted the same day,” he said.
“If there is no provision for an alternative, what becomes of it? Do we wait for the next day, two days, three days?”
Sani also cautioned against imposing standards that may prove impractical, noting that even technologically advanced countries face challenges in achieving seamless nationwide electronic transmission.
“I think we should do what is practical,” he said. “Where there is a glitch or failure, we go to the manual. There should not be anything wrong with that.”
His remarks add a nuanced dimension to the heated debate, shifting attention from technology alone to broader questions about integrity, enforcement and political commitment within Nigeria’s electoral system.
