Nigeria’s Bar Association has urged the National Assembly to approve a proposed amendment that would make the electronic transmission of election results from polling units mandatory, warning that current legal provisions leave room for manipulation and post-election disputes.
The call followed the adoption of a report presented by NBA President Afam Osigwe, SAN, at the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on Feb. 5 in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, according to a statement released on Thursday.
The report criticized the Senate’s recent rejection of an amendment to Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act, which sought to compel presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit polling-unit results electronically and in real time to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal immediately after results are recorded on Form EC8A and signed by party agents.
Under the existing law, presiding officers are required to transmit results “in a manner as prescribed by the Commission,” language the NBA said grants excessive discretion and weakens the legal basis for transparent, real-time reporting.
“The ambiguity leaves room for manipulation, misinterpretation and post-election disputes,” the NEC said in its resolution.
The council urged lawmakers to urgently pass the proposed amendment to clearly compel electronic transmission of results, arguing that explicit statutory requirements, rather than discretionary wording, are essential to protect the integrity of votes and rebuild public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
The NBA said resistance to enforceable electronic transmission measures undermines democratic accountability, particularly in a country where elections are frequently challenged in court.
“Technology-backed transparency is no longer optional in a modern democracy,” the association said, calling on legislators to align Nigeria’s electoral framework with global best practices.
The NBA added that it would continue to engage lawmakers and advocate reforms to ensure that electoral laws clearly reflect the will of voters as expressed at the ballot box.
