Electronic Transmission: Let The Wishes Of The People Prevail

 By Bassey Ewa Henshaw

“Once to every man and nation

 Comes the moment to decide

In the strife of truth with falsehood

For the good or evil side

Some great cause, some great decision

Each offering the bloom or blight

And the choice goes by forever

Twixt that darkness and that light.”

—James Russell Lowell

*Akpabio and Tinubu

And indeed, the INEC Amendment Bill presents such a moment. A moment of  great decision. It is the moment when we all must choose between transparency, credibility and trust or manipulation, doubt and suspicion. It is a moment when silence is not golden and we must all speak up and side with the truth.

Real-Time e-Transmission: ‘Technical Glitch’ In 2027 Will Unsettle Nigeria

 By Olu Fasan

The vexed debate over the Senate’s refusal to guarantee “mandatory” and “real-time” electronic transmission of results in the electoral law ignores two fundamental problems. The first is Nigeria’s utterly weak state capacity; the second is the total lack of institutional independence.

*Tinubu signs Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2026 into law

Even if the electoral act provides for mandatory and real-time transmission of election results, “mandatory” will not be mandatory and “real-time” won’t be real-time. Furthermore, INEC and the courts can’t be trusted to be above board in discharging their duties. Both problems discredited previous presidential elections in Nigeria and look likely to undermine the 2027 poll. 

Why We Must Insist On Real Time Transmission Of Results

By Nick Dazang

Following outrage at its rejection of electronic transmission of results from polling units to the INEC Results Viewing Portal, IReV, real time, on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, the Senate convened an emergency session on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.

But rather than to restore real time transmission of polling units results, and thus align itself with popular clamour and the bill already passed by the House of Representatives, namely that:

 “The Presiding Officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the IReV Portal real time and such transmission shall be done after the prescribed Form EC8A has been signed and stamped by the Presiding Officer and/ or countersigned by the candidates or polling agents where available at the polling unit”, the Senate pussy- footed and made a mess of the 2026 Electoral Amendment Bill.

It not only expunged “real time upload of results” from clause 60(3), it provided a clumsy caveat to the bill. The Senate’s whimsical adjustment reads thusly: “…That results shall be transmitted electronically from each polling unit to IReV.

“And such transmission shall be done after the prescribed EC8A has been signed and stamped by the Presiding Officer and party agents who are available at the polling unit.

“Provided that if the electronic transmission of result fails as a result of communication failure, the result contained in Form EC8A signed by the Presiding Officer and/ countersigned by the polling agents, shall, in such a case, be the primary source of collation and declaration of results.”

By its long and winding adjustment, the Senate visited more ambiguity and confusion where clarity and precision were needed to make the bill watertight.

Whereas, at first blush, the Senate appears to be providing a backup and paper trail, on closer scrutiny, it is taking us back to manual collation, which is susceptible to manipulation, and from which hold,   we intend to liberate ourselves. The adjustment, which is dilatory, also cleverly seeks to create room for manoeuvre for those who may wish to take advantage of, or subvert our elections. Pray, how could the Commission be transmitting the results electronically and collating them manually at the same time?

If what all Nigerians are demanding is electronic transmission of results, real time, and the distinguished Senators are the true representatives of these Nigerians, why are they averse to bowing to their wishes, especially when they are not proffering compelling or superior arguments?

But anyone who has avidly followed the Commission’s sundry attempts to introduce technology to our elections with a view to adding more transparency to them, and the designs of politicians to torpedo them, should hardly be surprised.

The introduction of the Permanent Voter Card, PVC, and the Smart Card Reader, SCR, met with stiff resistance. The naysayers and those opposed, galvanised by prominent politicians and their cohorts, argued strongly then that the SCRs would not work in our rural backwaters. They cited lack of electricity to adequately charge them. They argued, speciously, that our rural folks were going to be overawed and overwhelmed by such a technology. To knock the bottom out of these arguments, INEC test-ran the SCRs in rural areas and across the six geopolitical zones. The SCRs, contrary to the claims of the naysayers, worked seamlessly. What is more, they were well received by a majority of rural folks to the enduring shame and chagrin of the naysayers.

It is possible that the Senate may have provided the caveat, of a recourse to the use of Form EC8A as a primary source of collation and declaration of results, on account of poor network and internet coverage, particularly in our rural areas which are not muscularly served and on an abundance of caution. After all, our rural areas enjoy only 23 per cent access to the internet, while our urban areas enjoy 57 per cent access.

But this abundance of caution is deliberately feigned. Also, consideration of poor network and internet coverage being adduced fly in the face of the facts. Ahead of the 2019 general elections, and in its determination to transmit polling unit results, real time, and subject to the enactment of an enabling law, INEC, in 2018, engaged with the Nigeria Communications Commission, NCC. It has had a long standing partnership with the NCC. This engagement led to the establishment of the INEC/NCC JOINT TECHNICAL COMMITTEE ON ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF ELECTION RESULTS. This Committee, which included key Mobile Network Operators, MNOs, discovered, to its delight, as at then, that mobile networks adequately covered 93 per cent of INEC polling units across the country.

It is on the basis of this finding that INEC, subsequently, in 2021, in its POSITION PAPER(No 1/2021) stated that “it believes that it has developed adequate structures and procedures to successfully transmit election results electronically; the technology and national infrastructure to support this is adequate.”

Besides, between 2018 and 2026, the NCC and the MNOs have brought about some upgrade of our telecommunications infrastructure. From 3G, we have morphed to 4G. We are at the verge of transforming to 5G. This is not to add other safeguards such as Access Point Name, APN, and Virtual Private Network, VPN, which the NCC and the MNOs can deploy in the service and support of electronic transmission of results, real time.

It would also be a win-win for the telecommunications industry and INEC. The three, NCC, MNOs and INEC, will, in the event of electronic transmission of election results, real time, be challenged to up their games. They will be spurred to improve and improvise on their operations to the glory of their fatherland.

We have seen these improvements with technology introduced by INEC, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS. At first their deployment and usage were chaotic. But with time, INEC Staff became more hands-on and proficient, thereby reducing the time taken to carry out accreditation and to forestal rigging. In fact, in the POSITION PAPER referenced, INEC had further stated thus: “Electronic transmission of results will improve the quality of election result management and our engagement with stakeholders shows that the Nigerian public support it”.

By removing transmission of election results, real time, from the polling unit to the IReV from the Electoral Amendment Bill, the Senate has denied the telecommunications industry and the Election Management Body, EMB, the golden opportunity of honing their skills and deploying such skills in the service of transparent elections. It also says clearly that the Senate is imbued with a mindset that is negative, entrenched in antiquity and which pays little premium on excellence. Instead it thrives on the mediocre and garden variety.

Electronic transmission of election results, real time, from the polling unit to the IReV is possible. It can be done. This is adjudged and supported by INEC.   It is what Nigerians demand. And this is attested to by the national outrage that greeted the Senate’s rejection of real time transmission of election results, the protests that followed and the attempts to occupy the National Assembly by civil society organisations.

Nigeria’s progress should not be hobbled by distinguished Senators who set store only by perpetuating themselves in office at the expense of transparent elections and deferring to the wishes of their constituents.

*Dazang is a commentator on public issues

Electoral Act Amendment: Appraising Real-Time Electronic Transmission

By Femi Falana

Nigeria stands at a defining electoral moment. The ongoing amendment to the Electoral Act presents not merely a technical legislative adjustment but a historic opportunity to consolidate democratic transparency and institutional credibility. At the heart of this debate lies the issue of the real-time electronic transmission of polling unit results, a matter that has generated controversy, misunderstanding, and policy uncertainty.

*Falana

Let us begin by clarifying the issue. Nigeria does not operate electronic voting. Ballots are cast manually. Votes are counted manually. Results are recorded manually on Form EC8A. The debate before the nation is not about transmitting digital votes. It is about whether the scanned copy of the duly completed and signed polling unit result sheet should be electronically uploaded directly from the polling unit immediately after counting and signing.

Restoring The Reading Culture

Book Review:

Title: Ten Tall Tales

Author: Banji Ojewale 

Publishers: Straight Gate Publishers Limited, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria 

Number of Pages: 65

Reviewer: Vincent Obia

In an era when screens dominate the attention of young minds, Ten Tall Tales comes as a refreshing and delightful storybook that is sure to revamp the reading culture among children. 

Why Nigerians Want Real-Time Electoral Transmission

 By Tonnie Iredia

Over the years, the choices made by Nigerian voters during elections have always been either swapped, diverted or distorted making it difficult to get persons of integrity to represent Nigerian communities in several government positions. Going by recent public agitations, group rallies and general discussions, it has become obvious that Nigerians are anxious to bring to an end that pattern of convoluted voting process beginning with the forthcoming general elections of 2027. 

It is precisely the foremost motivation for the specific and exceedingly loud demand everywhere for real-time electronic transmission of election results. Those who think the posture is an unnecessary frenzy or a deliberately organized effort by some opposition politicians to heat up the polity do not fully appreciate the historical context of the subject.

Zimbabwe Overtakes United Kingdom, Namibia, Germany, China, Japan, Botswana, And More Countries In Driving South Africa’s Tourism Sector To New Heights…

 Zimbabwe has become a key driver in South Africa’s record-breaking tourism growth, surpassing countries like the United Kingdom, Namibia, Germany, China, Japan, and Botswana in 2025, with international arrivals reaching an all-time high of 10.5 million.

This surge in numbers highlights the increasing demand for luxury travel and high-end tourism experiences in South Africa, with Zimbabwe playing a crucial role in attracting affluent visitors. The unprecedented growth reflects South Africa’s successful recovery efforts, bolstered by Zimbabwe’s growing influence in the region’s tourism dynamics.

2027 And Fear Of Free, Fair And Credible Election

 By Ugo Onuoha  

One, two, three…, 17, 18, 19…, 28, 29, 30. Counting may no longer be of any use. The figure changes at the drop of a hat. It has remained a moving and elusive target since 2024, and especially so since last year. They were in a queue. And on cue. They said the regime had done good for the country. But when you look around, you only see a mountain of bad and ugly things.

Poverty bestrides the country – relentless poverty. Nevertheless, the Presidency was overwhelmed by the rush by many governors elected on the platforms of opposition political parties to align with the regime at the centre. To synchronise the obviously hostile acquisitions of the mandates of opposition political parties, the Presidency which present occupants are Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Alhaji Mohammed Kashim Shettima, and their collaborators were compelled to draw up a schedule, a roster and a calendar for the admission of the mandate thieves into the fold of the ruling and ruining All Progressives Congress [APC] political party.

Muslim-Muslim Ticket: Is Tinubu Having Buyer’s Remorse?

 By Olu Fasan

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s Marmite president, is by no means a religious bigot. He is a moderate, even liberal, Muslim, who is surrounded, including in his immediate family, by practising Christians.

*Shettima and his wife; Tinubu and his wife 

However, for self-interested political calculations, Tinubu played the religious card to become president in 2023 by picking a fellow Muslim, Kashim Shettima, as his running-mate. Perhaps more than any other columnist in Nigeria, I wrote severally on the issue. It struck me as a profound mismanagement of Nigeria’s diversity and a monumental betrayal of the national interest to place personal political gain ahead of religious balance and harmony in Nigeria. 

What If Some Countries Reject The New Nigerian Ambassadors?

 By Kingsley Moghalu

Over the weekend I read a news story in The Punch newspaper about how several countries’ authorities have expressed unease about the prospect of receiving new ambassadors from Nigeria virtually 1 year to the end of tenure of our current President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. If true (and such concern would be logical based on standard diplomatic practice), this should not be a surprise. 

*Some of the new ambassadors 

To be announcing ambassadorial appointments nearly a year to the end of an elected government’s tenure, when the practice is that receiving countries must issue a formal “agreement”, a formal decision by the receiving country to accept credentials from the individual named as Ambassador – a process that takes several weeks to months at the earliest — does not indicate serious and responsible governance.

Kwara: The Slaughter House — A State Betrayed by Leadership

 By Michael Oyewole

For over five months, these terrorists had been sending warning letters and pamphlets to these communities. They announced their intention to “preach” Islam to them. They demanded surrender. The villagers reported this strange incident to ALL relevant authorities. The intelligence was there. And what did the government do? Nothing. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

In the early hours of February 3, 2026, the villages of Woro and Nuku in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State were turned into a literal slaughterhouse. Jihadist terrorists preaching a twistedly strange, bloodthirsty doctrine stormed in around 5 p.m. They went from house to house, rounding up residents, binding their hands behind their backs, and executing them in cold blood. 

What If Some Countries Reject The New Nigerian Ambassadors?

 By Kingsley Moghalu

Over the weekend I read a news story in The Punch newspaper about how several countries’ authorities have expressed unease about the prospect of receiving new ambassadors from Nigeria virtually 1 year to the end of tenure of our current President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. If true (and such concern would be logical based on standard diplomatic practice), this should not be a surprise. 

*Some of the new ambassadors 

To be announcing ambassadorial appointments nearly a year to the end of an elected government’s tenure, when the practice is that receiving countries must issue a formal “agreement”, a formal decision by the receiving country to accept credentials from the individual named as Ambassador – a process that takes several weeks to months at the earliest — does not indicate serious and responsible governance.

The Eternal Candidate: When Ambition Outstays Its Welcome

By Olufemi Aduwo 

There is no democratic or constitutional argument against Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s right to seek the office of the President of Nigeria. In a republic governed by law rather than sentiment, political ambition does not expire with age and the ballot remains open to all who meet the formal requirements.

*Atiku 

Atiku may, if he so desires, contest for office even at the age of one hundred. That, however, is not the question confronting Nigeria as 2027 approaches. The real issue is not eligibility, but judgement; not entitlement, but wisdom; not ambition, but its consequences for national cohesion. Politics, as Edmund Burke reminded us, is a discipline of discernment rather than dogma. Rights may be absolute, but their exercise is always conditioned by circumstance. 

Nigeria’s Electoral Act: Dodgy Senators, Gullible Citizens

 By Tonnie Iredia

Bearing in mind that a constitution would be unwieldy if it is made to contain every type of provision, other laws, regulations and guidelines are allowed to provide further provisions that would illuminate the not too copious constitutional statements on a particular subject area. The Electoral Act is expected to handle such situations in matters of elections. 

Painfully, the National Assembly, has since 1982, used every opportunity to produce a bastardized document for the nation. They have done this severally using inexplicable methods – the latest being what prolific television anchor, Seun Okinbaloye describes as ‘boju-boju’ strategy.

Adams Oshiomhole And The South African ‘Mgbeke’

 By Ugoji Egbujo

I pity Oshiomhole. At 73, our grandfathers had young wives. The culture of polygamy permitted them to keep a harem to cater to all their fantasies. They probably believed a touch of  nubility was needed to soothe aging nerves and joints, especially when the gaze of the older wives had shifted to their grandchildren. But Western civilisation turned up and upturned that order. Now a full-fledged Chief cannot travel in peace with a damsel without having to tell tales to placate ranting meddlesome kids on social media in order to preserve his hard-earned reputation.

*Oshiomhole 

But I blame Oshiomhole. Most Nigerian politicians know how to tell disarming lies. And when they can’t lie effortlessly, they hire sharp and astute liars as personal advisers. It was heartbreaking to see Oshiomhole literally writhing like a rat in a trap and his men digging a hole in a vain attempt to free him. His team should have done better than the hurried dismissal of the viral video of their principal in a precarious situation with a South African lady as AI-generated.

Gale Of Defections: Why Should Anyone Vote In Nigerian Elections?

 By Olu Fasan

By the end of this year, or even earlier, the All Progressives Congress, APC, Nigeria’s ruling party, may control 30 or more of Nigeria’s 36 state governors. Currently, the party has 29 state governors in its fold. Of these 29, only 21 are APC governors by election, the others are APC governors by defection. 

The gale of defections has swept away eight of the 12 governors of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and deprived the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, of its only governor. The president, Bola Tinubu, is fully hands-on in his determination to lure and co-opt virtually all opposition governors into his party ahead of his re-election bid in 2027. 

As Terrorists Gradually Take Over Nigeria…

 By Adekunle Adekoya

What initially began as isolated incidents after the death of Mohammed Yusuf, the late founder of Boko Haram after his death in July 2009 later balooned into full-scale insurgency with which we have struggled to no end for 16 years. Then, the insurgents were trying to establish control over ungoverned spaces in parts of Borno State far from the capital. Later, they grew bolder, started levying taxes on residents, and within a short time, established control.

They became so entrenched that countries of the Lake Chad area had to form a joint security outfit to respond to them. And so we had the Multi-National Joint task Force, the MNJTF, comprising soldiers and other security operatives from Nigeria, Chad and Niger Republic. But they were not deterred. Having secured the backing of international terror organisations like Al-Qaeda, ISWAP and others, terrorists have sustained their onslaught on Nigeria’s territorial sovereignty through repeated attacks on many towns and villages, in Borno and Adamawa.

Why Peter Obi Is Not Your Typical Politician

 By Dan Onwukwe

History sometimes provides a striking opportunity to understanding the interplay between leaders and situations that differentiate one from the pack. It also provides a valuable insight into the changing dynamics of power. It’s a fact that leadership carries a sacred responsibility not measured by political contests alone, but by courage, conviction, and respect for the dignity of the people – even under pressure. 

*Peter Obi

This is why some politicians deserve the recognition, good will and respect they get from the people, while others don’t. The latter category can best be described in pidgin English as “waka just pass”. These are leaders who strut the political space just to be noticed. They leave no enduring legacy. Their footprints varnish once they leave the political stage. 

How Natasha-Akpoti Uduaghan Is Redressing Nigerian Politics

 By Collins Adaka

Since the advent of the Fourth Republic in 1999, politics in Nigeria has gone haywire. Politicians no longer deliver on their promises having made so many alluring ones during campaigns.

*Akpoti-Uduaghan 

To them, the political romance has come to an inevitable end. What else can we do? Until the next election, they come again with even more captivating and better promises, and so, once again we fall victims.

They get richer and richer while we, as Nigerians get poorer and poorer. Such is the elusive bond we have with our politicians and such is our way of life concerning politics in Nigeria. Therefore, life in present day Nigeria is brutish and hellish.

Is Tinubu’s Presidency Careless, Clumsy And Corrupt?

 By Ugoji Egbujo

Tinubu’s presidency must be closely watched. At inception, it hurriedly sacked ambassadors like it had a clear foreign policy direction to salvage the country. Then for two and half years, it couldn’t nominate ambassadors, leaving the embassies rudderless.

*Tinubu and Shettima 

In the midst of that baffling shiftlessness, the president globetrotted unperturbed, with the all-knowing ease of a magician. Had he been asked during the campaigns, he would have bragged about his capacity to find without delay the best hands and brains to coordinate his visionary foreign policy.