The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, has highlighted persistent network coverage issues as a major obstacle to the real-time electronic transmission of election results, explaining the Senate’s decision to reject a proposed amendment that would have made such transmission mandatory.

Speaking during an interview on Thursday, Adaramodu pointed out that many polling units across Nigeria still lack reliable mobile network access, rendering real-time uploads impractical.

“Network is a great challenge to the real-time electronic transmission of election results,” the senator stated. “If there is no network, these portals will not open, which means the real-time has already been defeated.”

He further explained the potential fallout from such technical limitations: “When the portal is not open and the presiding officer says he’s going to where there’s network to upload, and then somebody who has lost an election in that polling unit will begin to grumble that they want to rig him out. That’s the problem.”

The remarks come a day after the Senate, during Wednesday’s plenary, declined to adopt a proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3 of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill. The rejected clause sought to compel presiding officers to transmit polling unit results electronically and in real time to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing (IReV) portal.

The existing provision in the 2022 Electoral Act grants INEC discretion to determine the mode and manner of result transmission, a framework the Senate chose to retain rather than override with a mandatory real-time requirement.

Adaramodu’s comments reflect concerns raised by some lawmakers and stakeholders that enforcing real-time transmission in areas with poor or no network coverage could create new grounds for electoral disputes, accusations of manipulation, or delays in result collation.

The decision has sparked widespread debate, with civil society organisations, opposition figures, and election watchdogs arguing that mandatory electronic transmission remains essential for transparency and credibility in future polls, particularly ahead of the 2027 general elections. Critics contend that network challenges can be mitigated through improved infrastructure, alternative technologies, or contingency measures.

The Electoral Act amendment bill, which passed third reading in the Senate this week, now awaits harmonisation with the version passed by the House of Representatives before possible transmission to the President for assent.