Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly criticised the Nigerian Senate’s decision to reject the real-time electronic transmission of election results, describing the move as a deliberate attack on electoral transparency and democratic credibility.
In a statement posted on his X account on Thursday, Atiku said the Senate’s action represented a major setback for electoral reform and undermined public trust in Nigeria’s democratic process.
“The decision of the Nigerian Senate to reject the real-time electronic transmission of election results is a deliberate assault on electoral transparency,” he wrote, adding that the move was a calculated attempt to preserve loopholes that have historically enabled election manipulation and post-election disputes.
Atiku argued that real-time electronic transmission of results is a non-partisan democratic safeguard that reduces human interference, limits manipulation, and ensures that votes cast at polling units are accurately reflected in final outcomes. According to him, rejecting such a system signals an unwillingness by the political establishment to subject elections to public scrutiny.
He further warned that the decision raises serious concerns about the commitment of the ruling class to free, fair, and credible elections ahead of the 2027 general elections. “Every reform that strengthens transparency is resisted, while ambiguities that benefit incumbency are preserved,” Atiku stated.
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The former vice president also criticised what he described as the growing influence of manual processes, procedural delays, and post-election litigation in determining electoral outcomes, insisting that elections should be decided by voters, not by courts or backroom alterations.
Calling for sustained civic engagement, Atiku urged Nigerians, civil society organisations, the media, and the international community to take note of what he described as a regression in Nigeria’s electoral reforms and to continue demanding modern, transparent, and verifiable elections.
“Nigeria deserves elections that are transparent, verifiable, and beyond manipulation,” he said, warning that anything less would amount to a betrayal of democratic ideals.