Former Senator Shehu Sani has argued that the electronic transmission of election results alone will not guarantee free and fair elections in Nigeria, saying those determined to rig will always find ways to circumvent any system in place.
Sani made the remarks on Wednesday, February 18, during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, amid the ongoing public outcry over the National Assembly’s handling of electronic result transmission provisions in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The former Kaduna lawmaker said the debate around electronic transmission had been overblown, insisting that no system is immune to manipulation.
“Anyone adept in politics knows that electronic transfer does not guarantee a 100 per cent free and fair election,” Sani said.
“There is no electoral system that those who intend to rig will not try to circumvent,” he added.
Sani argued that the credibility of elections ultimately depends on the willingness of those in charge to conduct them fairly, regardless of what technology is deployed.
“Even with manual voting and electronic transfer, if a nation is truly interested in organizing a credible election, it will hold. Conversely, if there is an intent to manipulate, they will find a way around whatever system is in place,” he said.
He cited vote buying as an example of how laws are routinely flouted despite being clearly spelled out.
“For example, you can have laws stating that voters should not be induced with money, but it still happens,” he said.
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The former senator also pointed to Nigeria’s limited capacity to police its vast electoral landscape as a major challenge.
“We don’t have the manpower or the sophistication to monitor every nook and cranny to ensure people aren’t being induced,” Sani said.
“Having an electronic transfer doesn’t mean there will be no manipulation. It all depends on what we want to do as a country with our electoral system,” he added.
The debate over real-time transmission of results has dominated public conversation in recent weeks.
Opposition politicians including former governor Rotimi Amaechi and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, alongside civil society groups, staged protests at the National Assembly pushing for the inclusion of real-time transmission in the Electoral Act.
The Senate ultimately approved electronic transmission of results but avoided using the term “real-time” and included a provision allowing manual collation as a fallback in cases of technological failure.
The House of Representatives, which had passed its version of the bill last year with real-time transmission included, harmonised its position with the Senate on Tuesday, agreeing to allow both manual and electronic transmission of results.