A Former Commissioner Of The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr Mustapha Lecky, Has Explained Why Nigeria Is Not Prepared For Real-Time Electronic Transmission Of Election Results.

He Said The Country Lacks The Technical Structure Needed To Support Such A System.

According To Him, The Idea Of Instant Electronic Result Transmission Does Not Match Nigeria’s Current Voting Process.

Dr Lecky Spoke During A Television Interview On Friday While Reacting To The Ongoing National Debate Over Electronic Transmission Of Election Results.

His Comments Come Days After The Senate Rejected A Proposal Seeking To Make Electronic Transmission Of Election Results Compulsory In The Amended Electoral Act.

The Proposed Amendment Targeted Clause 60, Sub-Section 3 Of The Electoral Act Amendment Bill. Lawmakers Voted Against It, Insisting That The Country Is Not Fully Ready For The System.

Dr Lecky Said Discussions About Live Transmission Of Results Are Misplaced Because Nigeria Does Not Conduct Electronic Voting.

He Stated, “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.”

He Explained That Electronic Transmission Can Only Work Effectively When Elections Are Conducted Electronically From Start To Finish.

Dr Lecky Added, “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?”

He Stressed That Nigeria Still Relies On Manual Voting With Ballot Papers, Which Must Be Counted Physically At Polling Units.

He Further Said, “So If We Are Not Doing That, People Are Still Coming With Papers To Put On The Ballot Box.”

According To Him, The Current System Requires Votes To Be Sorted And Counted In Public View Before Any Result Is Announced.

He Argued That This Process Already Ensures Transparency And Reduces The Need For Electronic Transmission.

Dr Lecky Said, “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 Maintained That Introducing Electronic Transmission Without Full Electronic Voting Could Create Confusion And Technical Challenges Across The Country, Especially In Rural Areas With Weak Network Coverage.

Lecky Also Warned That Pushing For Instant Transmission Without Adequate Infrastructure Could Weaken Public Confidence In The Electoral Process.