The Nigerian Senate has stated that the country is not yet prepared to conduct electronic voting, clarifying that the real-time transmission of election results does not mean the adoption of e-voting.
Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, chairman of the Senate ad-hoc committee reviewing the 2026 Electoral Bill, explained that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lacks the capacity to implement e-voting at this time.
He noted that the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) is only intended to display results that have already been counted manually at polling units.
The Senate set up the seven-member ad-hoc panel to harmonize differing opinions in the Electoral Bill and address concerns about result transmission. Adegbonmire clarified that election results must first be recorded manually on Form EC8A before being uploaded to IReV.
This process ensures the official vote count remains accurate, as IReV does not function as a voting platform.
He also highlighted the logistical challenges of conducting elections across Nigeria, citing delays caused by transportation of materials to remote and riverine areas.
Voting in different regions often starts at different times, which means results cannot be uploaded simultaneously nationwide.
According to the senator, the Senate’s decision aims to prevent misunderstandings about the timing of result uploads, which could trigger false allegations of manipulation. He urged the media to carefully report election processes to avoid spreading misinformation.
The clarification comes after the Senate approved the use of electronic transmission of results to IReV while maintaining manual collation as a backup in areas facing technological or logistical challenges.