Telcos Reject Objection To e-Transmission Of Election Results, Insist On Nationwide Coverage Ahead 2027 Polls

Nigeria’s telecommunications operators have rejected claims by some lawmakers that the country lacked the infrastructure for real-time electronic transmission of election results.

Opposition lawmakers in the National Assembly and not a few Nigerians had advocated the provision of a compulsory live electronic transmission of election results in the new Electoral Act 2026 but the National Assembly passed the law without such provision.

LEADERSHIP reports that President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Bill 2026 into law on Wednesday.

The president, who assented to the amendment at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, maintained that the credibility of elections depends more on management and human oversight than on real-time electronic transmission.

“It’s not as important as the historical aspects of this. What is crucial is the fact that you manage the process to the extent there will be no confusion, no disenfranchisement of Nigerians, and that we are all going to see democracy flourish,” he said.

Tinubu stressed that regardless of the technological systems adopted, elections are ultimately conducted and concluded by people.

“And when you look at the crux of various arguments, maybe Nigerians should question our broadband capability. How technically are we today? How technically will we be tomorrow to answer the call of either real-time or not?” he added.

However, leading operators — MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom and T2 Mobile — insisted the objections were based on outdated or incomplete data.

Speaking under the umbrella of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), operators urged the National Assembly to rely on verified data from the industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

ALTON chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, said the country’s network coverage was sufficient to support electronic transmission of polling-unit results to the electoral commission’s portal and collation centres ahead of the 2027 general election.

“As we speak today, over 70 per cent of the country is covered by 3G and 4G networks, 5G has reached about 11 per cent coverage, while the remaining areas are on 2G. Even in reality, 2G is strong enough to transmit results electronically.

“We cannot accept a blanket ban on electronic transmission based on half-truths about our infrastructure and investments,” he said.

Adebayo acknowledged that security challenges in parts of the country, particularly in two insurgency-affected states, have limited operators’ ability to maintain facilities. He, however, said such challenges should be addressed through collaboration rather than used to justify nationwide rejection of electronic transmission.

The position aligned with that of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which previously dismissed similar concerns before the 2023 elections, maintaining that uploaded results would transmit automatically once devices enter areas with network coverage.

Debate over real-time transmission has intensified as Nigeria prepared for the 2027 general election, with civil society groups and voters viewing electronic result transmission as critical to transparency and public trust in the electoral process.

The new electoral law has therefore reopened discussions on balancing technological adoption with operational integrity in the conduct of elections.