Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has cautioned Nigerian senators against retaining loopholes in the amended Electoral Act, warning that lawmakers are “playing with fire” by refusing to mandate the real-time electronic upload of election results.
Speaking on ARISE News on Friday, Ezekwesili reacted to the Nigerian Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2026, which followed hours of debate over provisions governing the electronic transmission of election results and the level of discretion granted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to her, Nigerians are united in their demand for real-time upload of results at polling units as a safeguard for electoral transparency and democratic credibility.
“The fundamental issue is that the Senate retained Section 60, Subsection 5 of the INEC Act, which became infamous for the loophole it created—one that stripped Nigerians of the basis to trust the electoral process,” Ezekwesili said.
Broken Promises and Lost Trust
Ezekwesili recalled assurances given by INEC officials ahead of the 2023 general elections, particularly to young voters, that election results would be uploaded electronically to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV).
She noted that the failure to fulfil those promises laid the groundwork for public suspicion and adverse judicial interpretations.
“When results were not uploaded electronically, it became the basis for doubting what truly happened at polling units across the country,” she said.
“The courts then ruled that the law did not mandate INEC to upload results in real time.”
Citizens Embraced Reform to Close Loopholes
The former minister said Nigerians viewed the ongoing Electoral Act amendment process as an opportunity to eliminate ambiguities and restore faith in democracy.
“Every loophole and every discretionary power over transparency must be removed if democracy is to retain integrity, credibility, and legitimacy,” she argued.
She added that public outrage over the Senate’s decision was justified, stressing that democracy derives its authority from citizens.
“The office of the citizen is the highest office in the land,” Ezekwesili said, warning that continued voter disengagement poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s democratic future.
Voter Apathy as a Warning Sign
Highlighting declining voter participation, Ezekwesili pointed to the 2023 elections, where fewer than 35 percent of registered voters cast ballots.
“That means many Nigerians have checked out of the system,” she said.
“And lawmakers are making them even more uninterested.”
She warned that citizens withdrawing from democratic participation should alarm those in power.
Call for Clear Legal Mandate
Ezekwesili rejected claims that citizen advocacy amounts to incitement, insisting that Nigerian democracy belongs to the people, not politicians.
She urged the Senate to reverse course and adopt a clear provision mandating real-time electronic transmission of results.
“The presiding officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the INEC Results Viewing Portal, IREV, in real time,” she proposed, noting that uploads should occur after results forms are signed and stamped.
“Transparency is better. Fire is dangerous,” she concluded.
The Controversy Explained
The controversy stems from the Senate’s efforts to amend the 2022 Electoral Act as part of broader electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 general elections.
At the centre of the debate is whether the law should explicitly mandate real-time electronic transmission of results from polling units to INEC’s portal—an idea strongly backed by civil society groups and opposition parties.
In early February 2026, the Senate passed the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2026 but rejected a proposal that would have required compulsory real-time uploads. Instead, lawmakers retained the existing provision allowing results to be transmitted “in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.”
The decision triggered criticism from political stakeholders, who argue it undermines electoral transparency.
While Senate President Godswill Akpabio maintained that electronic transmission was not rejected outright, conflicting interpretations of the provision have fueled public confusion and distrust.
