Opeyemi Bamidele, senate leader, says Nigeria is not
prepared for mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results
due to gaps in communications and power infrastructure.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his directorate of media
and public affairs, Bamidele said available data showed that Nigeria’s
infrastructure cannot currently support real-time upload of results nationwide.
The upper chamber had resolved against clause 60(3) of the
Electoral Bill, 2026, which provides that the presiding officer “shall
electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to INEC Result
Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time”.
The senate subsequently reviewed the clause and retained
electronic transmission with a caveat that, where there is internet failure,
Form EC8A will serve as the primary means of result collation.
Bamidele said clause 60(3) of the bill “is an initiative
that any legislature or parliament globally will have embraced ordinarily”.
Citing figures from the Nigerian Communications Commission
(NCC), Bamidele said broadband coverage stood at about 70 per cent in 2025,
while internet penetration was 44.53 per cent of the population.
He also referenced the Speedtest Global Index, which ranked
Nigeria 85th out of 105 countries in mobile network reliability and 129th out
of 150 countries in fixed broadband reliability.
“Based on the Speedtest Global Index, Nigeria’s mobile
network reliability was 44.14 megabits per second,” he said.
“This is extremely low compared with the UAE, which has
691.76 Mbps; Qatar with 573.53 Mbps; Kuwait’s 415.67 Mbps; Bahrain’s 303.21
Mbps; and Bulgaria’s 289.41 Mbps. The Index placed Nigeria far below the global
average.
“Nigeria’s fixed internet broadband rating is quite low by
the global standard. Out of 150 countries, Nigeria occupied 129th position with
only 33.32 Mbps.”
Bamidele also said at least 85 million Nigerians lack access
to grid electricity, representing about 43 per cent of the population.
“This shortfall speaks to the state of our power
infrastructure,” he said.
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