Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 general electionelections, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the Senate for rejecting e-transmission of election results.

Mr Atiku stated his position on Thursday, on X, in reaction to the lawmakers’ passing of the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal & Enactment) Bill, 2026, on Wednesday, and excluding the amendment, which sought to make mandatory, the real-time electronic transmission of results from the polling units for the 2027 elections.

Describing the rejection by the lawmakers as “a deliberate assault on electoral transparency,” the former vice-president said the “ill-advised action represents a grave setback for electoral reform and a calculated blow against transparency, credibility, and public trust in Nigeria’s democratic process.”

Mr Atiku said the Senate chose “to cling to opacity, protect loopholes, and preserve a system that has historically enabled manipulation, tampering, and post-election disputes,” when other democracies across the world were using technology to strengthen their electoral system.

He stated, “Real-time electronic transmission of results is not a partisan demand; it is a democratic safeguard. It reduces human interference, limits result manipulation, and ensures that the will of the voter, expressed at the polling unit, is faithfully reflected in the final outcome. 

“To reject it, and adopt what is obviously a face-saving provision of the 2022 Act on electronic transmission of results is to signal an unwillingness to submit elections to public scrutiny. This decision raises troubling questions about the commitment of the ruling political establishment to free, fair, and credible elections in 2027. Nigerians cannot ignore the pattern: every reform that strengthens transparency is resisted, while every ambiguity that benefits incumbency is preserved.

“I have consistently maintained that democracy must evolve with time, technology, and the legitimate expectations of the people. Elections must be decided by voters, not by manual delays, backroom alterations, procedural excuses or even by the courts, which section is shamelessly standing on the mandate of the incumbent.”

Mr Atiku therefore urged Nigerians, civil society organizations, the media, and the international community, to take note of the regression and keep demanding an electoral system that reflects modern democratic standards.

He stated, “Nigeria deserves elections that are transparent, verifiable, and beyond manipulation. Anything less is an injustice to the electorate and a betrayal of democracy.”