A former Minister of Education Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili has tasked the Nigerian Senate to accord the moves to make electronic transmission of election results mandatory in law the needed passage, so as to rid the Nigerian electoral system of corrupt tendencies.
In a recent podcast tagged, “Count it Right, Post it Live”, the founder of Fix Politics Initiative declared that once the electronic transmission of the results is allowed, result manipulation or alteration will be a forgone issue.
Dr. Ezekwesili criticized the Senate for an alleged deliberate attempt to frustrate the move so as to arm-twist the system for their selfish end.
“If we use this electronic system properly, nobody will be able to alter results or engage in manipulation, democracy belongs to the citizens and not to political office holders.
“Some members of the Senate are attempting to undermine electoral transparency by opposing moves to make electronic transmission of election results mandatory in law, they are plotting to frustrate reforms that would guarantee real-time electronic transmission of results from
polling units.
“The e-transmission process is straightforward and had already been successfully implemented in previous off-cycle elections. With e-transmission, once voting is concluded at a polling unit, results are entered into the prescribed Form EC8A, signed by the presiding officer and party agents, and subsequently uploaded to the Independent
National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal for public access.
“Electronic transmission when made mandatory would significantly reduce the manipulation of results and ultimately curb electoral malpractice.
Dr. Ezekwesili a Economic and Public Policy went further to assert that in the previous off-cycle elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states, the e-transmission of result was responsible for the huge success recorded in the credibility of the process nearing 98 percent rating and has consequently made the citizen reposed some level confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which must be sustained.
She maintained that failure to enshrine e- transmission in law would leave room for discretionary actions that could erode public trust in the electoral process, warning that if
votes do not count transparently; corruption and poor governance would persist.
Ezekwesili, therefore, called on lawmakers to support clear legal provisions that would make electronic transmission of results compulsory, urging Nigerians to demand greater transparency and accountability in the country’s electoral system.
She reiterated that credible elections remain the foundation of a stable democracy and insisted that reforms aimed at strengthening the integrity of the ballot must not be compromised.