Yiaga Africa, a citizen-led movement within the Watching The Vote Working Group, has called for additional amendments to Nigeria’s Electoral Act of 2022 to enhance the electoral process and address challenges that have historically undermined the nation’s democracy.
The election monitoring group emphasized the need for improvements in the provisions related to the electronic transmission of results. They believe this will help strengthen public trust in the system by ensuring that outcomes are communicated in real-time and with greater accuracy.
Mr. Paul James, Programme Manager of Yiaga Africa, made the call in a statement ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He highlighted the importance of incorporating lessons from previous elections, particularly in terms of how technology is utilized within the electoral process.
James argued that enhancing the electronic transmission of results could offer significant advantages to Nigeria’s electoral system. He explained that it would increase transparency by providing real-time updates, reducing the likelihood of manual errors or result manipulation, as seen in recent elections such as the Edo off-cycle governorship election.
By integrating electronic transmission, James added, the process would speed up the announcement of results, boost public confidence, and act as a deterrent to fraud.
“It would improve transparency by offering real-time updates and minimise the risk of manual errors or results manipulation during collation, as observed in recent elections like the Edo off-cycle governorship election.
“Integrating electronic transmission will expedite the announcement of results and reinforce public confidence by ensuring accuracy and deterring fraud.”