Omokri Backs Electronic Result Transmission

Ambassador-designate and political commentator Reno Omokri has endorsed the electronic transmission of election results in Nigeria but cautioned that mandating “real-time” transmission is currently unrealistic due to infrastructural limitations. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Omokri argued that while electronic transfer of results is vital for transparency and patriotism, the uneven network coverage across the country poses a significant hurdle to instantaneous uploading from all polling units.

Omokri drew comparisons to South Africa’s recent electoral processes to highlight that electronic transmission is achievable, but it must be tailored to local technological capabilities. He emphasized that forcing a real-time requirement in areas lacking network coverage could lead to practical failures, advising critics to focus on achievable transparency rather than idealistic policies.

This intervention comes amidst intense debate over the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026, where the Senate recently sparked public outcry by removing the specific phrase “real-time” from the clause governing result transmission. Although the Senate leadership has clarified that electronic transmission remains a legal requirement, demonstrators and civil society groups have expressed concern that dropping the “real-time” stipulation weakens the safeguards against manipulation during the collation process.

The debate highlights the delicate balance between technological ambition and infrastructural reality in Nigerian elections. The Senate’s move has triggered widespread protests, with many demanding that the phrase be reinstated to ensure immediate uploading of results directly from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to bolster confidence in the electoral system ahead of the 2027 elections.