Civil Society Organisations, Speak Out Africa Initiative (SOAI), in a press statement signed today, has condemned the Nigerian Senate’s proposed amendment to the Electoral Act, which introduces a “manual backup” mechanism alongside electronic transmission of election results. The organisation described the clause as a dangerous loophole that could undermine transparency and open the door to electoral manipulation.
According to SOAI, while the Senate claims to support electronic transmission, the inclusion of a fallback paper system could be exploited to manipulate results. The organisation warned that this provision risks engineered technical failures, collusion in collation rooms, and legal ambiguity that could weaken the authority of electronically transmitted results in court.
“Electronic transmission must be the legally binding primary source of election results. If it is reliable enough to announce outcomes, it must be sufficient to defend them in court,” SOAI said in a statement. The organisation stressed that technical challenges should be addressed through stronger infrastructure such as redundant network systems, multi-layer encryption, real-time dashboards, and independent monitoring rather than reverting to paper-based alternatives.
SOAI urged the National Assembly’s harmonization committee to adopt the House of Representatives’ version of the Electoral Act Amendment, which fully prioritises real-time electronic transmission. The group argued that any ambiguity in result collation threatens electoral trust, national stability, and citizen confidence in the democratic process.
The organisation also outlined key demands: mandatory real-time electronic results as the primary legal record, strengthened digital infrastructure, explicit statutory recognition of electronic results in judicial proceedings, and structured citizen oversight of result transmission nationwide.
SOAI concluded by calling on Nigerians to remain vigilant and engaged in defending democracy through peaceful advocacy. “Our votes must carry the certainty of a verified digital record anything less is a betrayal of public trust,” the statement read.
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