Nigeria NOT ready for real-time electronic transmission – Former INEC Commissioner

Saturday, February 7, 2026 - Former Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Dr Mustapha Lecky, says Nigeria is not technically ready for real-time electronic transmission of election results.

Lecky said this on Friday when he featured in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

His remark comes amid the ongoing debate on the rejection of e-transmission of election results by the Senate.

Senate on Wednesday reportedly turned down a proposed change to Clause 60, sub-section 3 of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill that sought to make electronic transmission of election results compulsory.

Reacting, Dr Lecky said, “It doesn’t really make sense to me that we should be talking about instantaneous transmission of results live as it is happening because we don’t do electronic voting anywhere. Nigeria is not yet ready for that.

“You have to think about those things. Those things must go together. It’s not electronic voting. When we are doing electronic voting, then it can be instantaneous, right?

“So if we are not doing that, people are still coming with papers to put on the ballot box.

“And then you have to count there for everybody to see, one by one, separate them according to the political party, the argument is baseless. We don’t need electronic transmission of election results,” he said.