The Senate has committed to making it obligatory for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit election results electronically, according to the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters.
In an interview with Channels TV on Tuesday, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, the Committee’s Chairman, stated that the current legislation does not require the electoral body to transmit results online. However, he affirmed that efforts are underway to amend the existing law and institute this crucial improvement.
Underlining the need for legislative action, Senator Alli explained, “That is one of the things that we are going to do. Under the current law, it is not mandatory for INEC to upload results, that is what the court has said. But as we are going forward, it is going to be mandatory.”
Addressing concerns about technology shortcomings in previous elections, he emphasized the committee’s focus on technological advancement, saying, “We are looking at the development of technology, improvement of technology because a lot of Nigerians were disappointed when the use of the IReV didn’t work, but going forward, we will try to ensure INEC does something about that.”