The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted the Senate’s position on the amended Electoral Act, particularly on real-time electronic transmission of election results, describing they took as being a“clever by half” attempt to undermine the will of Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement in Abuja on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the party said the Senate’s decision to allow manual transmission of results where technology is deemed to have failed was a disguised rejection of real-time electronic transmission.
The PDP said it took note of the outcome of the Senate’s reconsideration of its earlier stance, arguing that the addendum permitting manual transmission merely reintroduced the same concerns Nigerians had protested against.
According to the party, “the addendum is nothing more than a backdoor attempt to achieve the same objective as the earlier outright rejection, while pretending to align with the wishes of the Nigerian people.”
The PDP stated that manual transmission of election results is already adequately provided for under the existing Electoral Act, stressing that the current agitation for electronic transmission is meant to serve as a second-layer authentication mechanism.
It explained that real-time electronic transmission would prevent the alteration of results between polling units and collation centres, a practice it described as “the bane of Nigeria’s electoral process.”
The party further questioned the argument that technology could fail at the point of result transmission, noting that the same BVAS technology is relied upon for voter accreditation throughout elections.
“It is inconceivable that the same BVAS technology which successfully undertakes accreditation throughout an election would suddenly become unreliable for the transmission of results and accreditation data arising from that same exercise,” the statement said.
The PDP alleged that opposition to full electronic transmission was driven by fear among some lawmakers, particularly Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
According to the party, the caveat introduced by the Senate reflects “the humongous fear being harboured by Senators opposed to electronic transmission,” adding that Akpabio remained “haunted by the ghost of his 2019 election loss, occasioned by the deployment of technology to curb overvoting.”
The party warned that Nigeria’s democratic future should not be sacrificed on the altar of personal or political interests, insisting that “Nigeria is bigger than their narrow personal and political interests.”
The PDP urged members of the Electoral Act Conference Committee to adopt the version of the amendment bill passed by the House of Representatives as the harmonised position, if they are truly committed to delivering credible elections in 2027.
It called on lawmakers to rise above electoral calculations and focus on strengthening democracy and safeguarding the future.
“They must rise above the instincts of politicians fixated on the next election and instead focus on the sustenance of democracy and the protection of future generations,” the party said.
The PDP also warned that history would judge those who opposed electronic transmission of results, stating that if democracy fails, “the names of Senator Akpabio and all Senators who voted against electronic transmission will undoubtedly occupy a conspicuous chapter in the book of infamy.”
The party further appealed to Nigerians to remain steadfast in their demand for real-time electronic transmission of election results.
“This is no time for excuses. This hard-won democracy is far too valuable to be left in the hands of politicians alone,” the statement added.
