In My Village,We Didn’t Have Network In Last Election So You Can't Transmit In Record Time - Nwaebonyi

Senator Onyebuchi Nwaebonyi has cited poor network coverage in rural communities as justification for the Senate’s decision to retain manual collation as a backup in the amended Electoral Act.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, the Ebonyi North senator explained that not all parts of Nigeria have the infrastructure required for seamless electronic transmission of election results.

The Senate recently amended a section of the Electoral Act to introduce electronic transmission of results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IREV).

However, lawmakers also included a proviso allowing manual collation in areas where internet connectivity is unreliable.

The inclusion of the clause has drawn criticism from some stakeholders who fear it could create loopholes. Nwaebonyi, however, defended the decision, arguing that it was necessary to prevent disenfranchisement of voters in remote areas.

According to him, lawmakers carefully considered Nigeria’s developmental realities before adopting the provision.

 He questioned whether results from polling units without network access should be discarded simply because they could not be uploaded immediately.

The senator stressed that the Senate’s action was aimed at balancing technological advancement with inclusivity, ensuring that citizens in underserved communities are not excluded from the democratic process.

He maintained that while electronic transmission represents progress, the country must account for existing infrastructure gaps to safeguard the integrity and fairness of elections nationwide.

In his words: "We went further to put a provision considering our level of development, considering the fact that it is not in every polling unit in Nigeria you can get network to transmit within record time. 

And what is within record time? Within record time means within the time allowed for the election. You will agree with me that in the last election, for example, in my village, we didn’t have network; you cannot transmit within record time.