Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has defended the National Assembly’s choice to include both manual and electronic results transmission in the revised Electoral Act.
Abbas explained that internet penetration in Nigeria is still very low and that approving electronic transmission alone could disenfranchise many Nigerians in the 2027 elections. He made this point during a meeting with Ambassador Felix Costales, the Spanish ambassador to Nigeria, who visited his office in Abuja over the weekend.
Additionally, he contended that permitting just electronic transmission would increase voter indifference in elections since those without internet access would not wish to cast ballots.
According to the Speaker, this is the reason why the parliamentarians, in their wisdom, decided that the Electoral Act should be a hybrid, integrating both electronic and manual methods, so that the electronic transmission would be utilized where it is practical and the manual transmission would be used when it is not.
However, he reassured them that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is prepared to hold inclusive, transparent, and credible elections in 2027 despite the protests and worries that have followed the recently passed electoral act.
“As you said, sometimes people scream far beyond the exact level of the issue,” the speaker stated. Many believe that Nigeria must adopt real-time electronic transmission. Even so, you should be able to attest to the caliber of our internet network in the few time you’ve been in Nigeria. You should be aware that reliable internet access is not always guaranteed, especially in developed places like Abuja.
According to the NCC study, Nigeria is still about 40% underserved, meaning that 40% of Nigeria’s total territory lacks internet access. Now, tell me: if you look at the amount of people who are registered to vote in our country, it is concerning. For those who argue that we should proceed with it already, do so. Voter indifference is the unfortunate reality that, despite our laborious setup, we are only able to enlist 12–15% of registered voters who cast ballots every four years. There are very few voters.
Now, if we merely use the electronic system, it will further decrease the number because 40% of the nation is likely to be unable to vote due to inadequate internet capabilities. It implies that we should anticipate not only the disenfranchisement of voters and the denial of the right to vote to certain individuals, but also possibly the lowest number of voters in the upcoming elections. None of these are preventable. For this reason, we reasoned that the Electoral Act ought to be a hybrid, incorporating both manual and computerized procedures. Because no single form, especially the electronic one, can be used completely throughout the nation for the elections, use the electronic transmission where it is practical and the manual when it is not.
Speaker Abbas maintained that opposition legislators who opposed the inclusion of both manual and electronic results transmission were aware of the actual state of internet services in the nation as well as the potential difficulties associated with real-time electronic results transmission.
The opposition is aware that Nigeria’s internet penetration rate is insufficient, despite the fact that they are Nigerians, live there, and travel throughout the country. We don’t have enough electricity because of our nation’s energy problem, and an insufficient system makes it impossible to hold transparent polls. The internet is always powered. How can you provide enough electricity to run phones and the internet across the nation on election day? All of those issues will prevent us from doing online real-time transmission at this moment,” he stated.
The speaker went on to say that Nigerian democracy is still developing and that opportunities for development are constantly being looked into.
He said he hoped Spain would keep helping the nation recover.
“We will keep getting better year after year, election after election, throughout our whole democracy. If you examine America’s past, you will see that it is not exactly what it is today. Every democracy has problems. With the backing of nations like Spain, I think Nigeria would perform better.
We anticipate that you will continue to lead us and provide us with all the technical guidance and assistance we need to perform better, especially in the National Assembly, through cooperation between our parliament and your nation. It will significantly improve our proficiency, especially in the formulation of legislation and associated fields. I think Nigeria could gain a lot from what you have in Spain.
You cannot claim to have everything you need. You’re constantly learning. Though it may not be at the pace that the international world would want to see, we think Nigeria is doing fairly well. We are going slowly and steadily. I guarantee that the upcoming election will be more inclusive, accommodating, and transparent than the ones that have already occurred. I was given the unique chance to meet the new chairman of INEC. I have heard all of his intentions. I think Nigeria will advance if all he said is put into practice,” the Speaker stated.
The Spanish ambassador to Nigeria has previously disclosed that his nation similarly manually transmits election results.
According to Ambassador Contales, the purpose of his visit was to gain the Nigerian Parliament’s knowledge in order to strengthen bilateral ties between the two nations, particularly in legislative diplomacy.
You can rely on us to do everything within our power to strengthen Nigerian democracy. Although there can be difficulties, you can rely on us in every manner.
“I am aware that the parliament is under pressure to approve a new electoral act. Before that, I wanted to come see you. Elections have already taken place here. We wish to strengthen our parliamentary diplomacy with Nigeria due to the significance of your nation. Although it’s not as advanced as we have with other countries now, the Spanish official stated that we should attempt to embrace it in the future, perhaps following the elections.
“Of course, we are going to closely monitor the electoral period ahead of us,” he added in reference to the elections. It’s a lengthy time; elections are always significant; and people’s views are always divided. Digging deeper sometimes reveals that the problems are not as significant as they appear in public conversation. In Spain, where politics is currently extremely polarized in Parliament, it occurs frequently. We also have the minority, a phenomena we see in polarized countries like the US and Europe.
“In the end, compromise is necessary if you want to advance in democracy. We must attempt to govern by consensus. We are all aware that rivalry exists in the parliamentary game. You strive to win elections by going to them.
Speaker Abbas was accompanied by Hon. Abubakar Kabir Bichi, the chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Hon. Wole Oke, the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Hon. Jafaru Yakubu, the chairman of the Nigeria-China Parliamentary Friendship Group.
