The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has said Nigeria currently lacks the communications and power infrastructure required to support compulsory real-time electronic transmission of election results nationwide.
In a statement released on Sunday by his directorate of media and public affairs, Bamidele cited data indicating that the country’s existing infrastructure is insufficient for seamless nationwide uploads from polling units.
The Senate had earlier rejected clause 60(3) of the Electoral Bill, 2026, which proposed that the presiding officer “shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time.”
Following further deliberations, the upper chamber amended the provision, retaining electronic transmission but adding that in cases of internet failure, Form EC8A would serve as the primary method for collating results.
Bamidele described clause 60(3) as “an initiative that any legislature or parliament globally will have embraced ordinarily,” but argued that Nigeria’s realities must guide implementation.
Referencing statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), he said broadband coverage stood at roughly 70 per cent in 2025, while internet penetration was 44.53 per cent of the population.
He also cited 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.”
Beyond connectivity concerns, Bamidele pointed to electricity deficits, stating that about 85 million Nigerians — roughly 43 per cent of the population — do not have access to grid power.
“This shortfall speaks to the state of our power infrastructure,” he said.
