Electronic transmission of election results is seen as a major step toward restoring public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system. By improving speed, transparency, and accountability, it aims to reduce issues like ballot snatching, result manipulation, and irregular collation.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) introduced tools such as BVAS and the IReV portal to enable real-time upload of polling unit results. However, technical glitches, poor network coverage, and inadequate training of election staff have limited their effectiveness.
For e-transmission to succeed, experts emphasize the need for stronger digital infrastructure, especially in rural areas, clear legal backing on the status of electronic results, and improved cybersecurity to prevent hacking or data manipulation.
Proper training of ad hoc staff, mock election simulations, and increased public awareness are also critical. Transparency and citizen participation, observers say, will help build trust and reduce misinformation.
Although recent electoral reforms may not be perfect, effective implementation of e-transmission could significantly improve the credibility of future elections in Nigeria.
