2027: Unending Controversy Of E-Transmission Amid Apprehension Over Technology

The controversy surrounding the electronic transmission (e-transmission) of election results during the 2027 general elections has opened up another deep discussion on the integrity of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the sincerity of the political class and the agitation by concerned citizens for a credible process devoid of manipulation.

The Nigerian Senate stirred the hornet’s nest when its passage of the electoral reforms bill was enmeshed in accusation against the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, over an alleged attempt to reject the e-transmission earlier made mandatory and passed by the House of Representatives.

After intense public pressure, the Senate convened an emergency meeting to pass the bill on e- transmission provided there is a network with a proviso that where it is not possible to transmit, the Commission can use the Form EC8A to complete the process. The Senate version does not have the mandatory requirement for the e- transmission and that appears to be where the situation gets curious.

Proponents of electronic transmission argue that anything short of full technological deployment would amount to a dangerous regression. They insist that real-time upload of results from polling units directly to a central server reduces human interference, curbs ballot snatching, and limits the alteration of figures during manual collation. Civil society groups maintain that once results are electronically captured and publicly viewable, transparency is enhanced and public confidence in INEC is strengthened.

For them, resisting e-transmission fuels suspicion that certain actors benefit from opaque processes and are unwilling to relinquish avenues for manipulation.

On the other hand, critics caution against an overreliance on technology in a country still grappling with uneven network coverage, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and infrastructural deficits. They argue that without adequate safeguards, hacking, system glitches, or deliberate sabotage could undermine the credibility the reform seeks to protect. Some lawmakers also contend that legal ambiguities surrounding the deployment of technology in elections must be clearly addressed to prevent post-election litigations.

The apprehension in some quarters about the failure of the technology appears to be driven by political motives rather than technical capability or otherwise of the system as experts have suggested that Nigeria has the technical ability to transmit election results electronically in real time.

The technical competences are driven by the facts that data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for late 2024 and early 2025, shows that 3G network coverage (the ability to access the network) is high at over 80 per cent–89 per cent. Although 4G and 5G networks are now beginning to take over coverage in Nigeria 3G network is still very much in use across Nigeria especially in rural areas.

Minister of Communications Innovations and Digital Economy , Bosun Tijani in an interview during a Flash Nigeria event on Wednesday in Abuja, assured that the federal government is deepening infrastructure projects that will connect about 20 million Nigerians lacking internet and digital services at least by 2027. He suggested that these infrastructures will also go a long way in helping in the much touted electronic transmission of the 2027 election results.

Speaking to our correspondent, an expert in Information technology and cyber security, Hanniel Jafaru said that Nigeria has the capacity for electronic transmission of results from the polling units in real time.

He sad “I think looking at how we have grown so far and looking at the current initiatives of the current government, which has publicly announced and regularly given update on running fiber across the 774 local government  area in Nigeria, and looking at how far we have gone technologically, how Nigeria is pioneering the fintech initiative across Africa, e transmission is something we can do in real time.

“The reason is because the number of the polling units that we have is not much, they are not in the millions. The results will not be transmitted simultaneously so in most cases it is after voting that the results come  and there may  be slight delay in polling units.  So, it is almost impossible to have 100 polling units transmitting results at the same time.”

He added that people who are against e- transmission of results are shying away from the truth because they are looking for ways to create loopholes to manipulate the elections and this is what the citizens must resist.

On the security of the data collected during the election the expert noted that INEC can design systems to mitigate insecurity.

Abdul-Hakeem Ajijola, an expert in cybersecurity, who has combined strategic foresight, technical expertise, and global influence, told our correspondent on Friday that e- transmission is possible in Nigeria, adding that it also depends on the equipment and resources available to INEC.

He said “Primarily, the issue is not technical but political and this is because Nigeria has reached considerable network coverage even within the 3G minimum.

But it depends on INEC equipment. The commission can provide a device in unconnected places within a certain period which must be done within stipulated time so that it not be wiped out and then it can upload within network availability.

“Yes e-transmission is possible but it depends on INEC and the funds available to it.”

He advised that the security of the data collected during the election is paramount and in this regard it has to be encrypted within the machine or server at rest or when it is being transmitted and this has to be done by well- trained officers who will protect the data from vulnerabilities.

Another expert, who does not want his name on prints, told our correspondents that the current controversy was because INEC promised to transmit election results in 2023 electronically but allegedly sabotaged the process not for lack of equipment but to arrive at a certain outcome after the so-called “technical glitch”.

He said “all over the world, even in smaller African countries e- transmission of election results is used in uploading results of election and Nigeria has demonstrated enormous capacity in e- transactions in the financial services in a much higher volume. It is unbelievable that some people are afraid of e- transmission despite how popular they claim to be.

“It is hard to imagine that after all the investment of over N300 billion for the 2023 election, INEC could not carry out this simple task of e- transmission and this has left the nation in a quandary.”

As the debate intensifies, the core issue remains whether Nigeria’s political leadership is prepared to embrace reforms that prioritize transparency over expediency, and whether INEC can convincingly assure citizens of both technological competence and institutional neutrality.