E-Transmission: FixP
Photo: Goodwill Akpabio, Senate President
By: Mandy Park
The #FixPolitics initiative has condemned the Senate’s reported rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results, describing it as a direct assault on electoral integrity and public trust.
In a statement issued at the weekend by its Executive Director, FixPolitics Africa, Anthony Ubani, the group said Nigerians were rightfully angered by what transpired during the consideration of the Electoral Act amendment, insisting the episode was neither a misunderstanding nor a technical lapse.
According to the initiative, the Senate delivered confusion, contradiction and contempt for the popular will at a time citizens demanded clarity, transparency and genuine reform of the electoral process.
It therefore called for the immediate restoration of mandatory electronic transmission of results, describing it as a non-negotiable pillar of credible elections.
Ubani noted that a bill touching the foundation of Nigeria’s democracy was passed amid open disputes, with some senators alleging that the version announced as passed was not the one they voted for.
“This is grave, dangerous and unacceptable in any democracy that takes itself seriously,” he said, adding that the outrage was heightened by recent allegations that a tax law passed by the National Assembly was altered after approval, an issue that remains poorly explained.
“Now, once again, Nigerians are confronted with a National Assembly that cannot convincingly tell citizens what law it passed, how it was passed, and whose interests it truly serves,” he stated.
The group warned that when laws can be altered after voting, the rule of law collapses and public confidence in democracy is eroded.
“When lawmakers themselves dispute the content of laws, citizens lose faith. When trust is broken repeatedly, democracy becomes hollow.
There is no rule of law without trust, and there is no trust without integrity in lawmaking,” Ubani said.
FixPolitics further argued that the refusal to make electronic transmission of results mandatory—despite years of advocacy and lessons from recent elections—shows a Senate disconnected from the realities of electoral fraud and the urgent demand for reform.
“Nigerians did not ask for loopholes; they asked for certainty. They did not ask for discretion; they asked for safeguards.
Instead, they got ambiguity by design,” the statement read.
The group also criticised what it described as institutional failure, noting that Nigeria spends billions of naira annually to maintain 109 senators, yet the Senate appeared unable to pass a clear, credible and uncontested law on one of the most consequential issues facing the nation’s democracy.
“For us, this is not just incompetence; it is deliberate mischief and an abuse of public trust,” FixPolitics said, accusing the legislature of prioritising political advantage over the protection of citizens’ votes.
The initiative demanded the immediate public clarification of the exact provisions passed, the release of the full and final text of the bill, a transparent legislative review process to resolve all discrepancies, and accountability from Senate leadership over the contradictions that have brought the institution into disrepute.
“Nigeria’s democracy cannot survive on half-truths and broken processes.
Our elections cannot inspire confidence if lawmakers themselves sow doubt, and our patience as citizens is not limitless,” the statement added.
FixPolitics warned that history shows legislatures are often the first casualties when democracy collapses, urging the National Assembly to act in enlightened self-interest by defending electoral integrity.
“The Senate must choose either to stand with the people or stand exposed before history. Nigeria deserves laws that protect the vote, not weaken it. Anything less is a complete abdication of responsibility and a brazen betrayal of public trust,” the group stated.
