YERP-Naija urges National Assembly to adopt real-time electronic transmission of results

The Youth Electoral Reform Project (YERP-Naija) Consortium has called on the National Assembly’s Electoral Act harmonisation committee to adopt mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results, in line with the version earlier passed by the House of Representatives.
In a press statement issued in Abuja on February 12, 2026, the group welcomed the Senate’s emergency sitting to review key provisions of the Electoral Act amendment bill following public concerns over earlier changes to the legislation.

The consortium noted that the Senate, on February 10, revisited Clause 60(3) of the bill and adopted electronic transmission of results after previously rejecting it, describing the move as a step toward public demands for electoral safeguards.

However, YERP-Naija said the Senate stopped short of the House position by failing to make the transmission mandatory in real time. According to the group, Nigerians, particularly youths, had demanded real-time electronic transmission to reduce human interference and manipulation during result collation.

The organisation also raised concerns over a Senate provision allowing manual transfer of results when technology fails, warning that it could create opportunities for electoral fraud if network disruptions are deliberately triggered. It argued that improvements in internet connectivity and the capabilities of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) could support real-time uploads even in areas with poor coverage.

While acknowledging the decision to send the differing versions of the bill to a conference committee for harmonisation, YERP-Naija urged lawmakers to adopt the House version to strengthen transparency and public confidence ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The consortium stressed the need for timely passage of the amendment, warning that delays or weakened provisions could undermine implementation and the credibility of future elections.
The statement was jointly signed by Bukola Idowu of Kimpact Development Initiative, Zigwai Ayuba of J-DEV Foundation, Abimbola Aladejare Salako of The New Generation Girls and Women Development Initiative, Nonso Orakwe of Catch Them Young Community Initiative, Israel Orekha of Connected Advocacy, and Ashraf Tukur of Child Protection and Peer Learning Initiative.

YERP-Naija is a coalition of youth-focused civil society organisations across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory advocating electoral reforms, particularly the mandatory real-time transmission of election results.