No real-time results, no elections – NLC warns Senate

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to mobilise mass action and possibly boycott future elections if the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act, 2022, fails to make real-time electronic transmission of election results mandatory.

In a statement issued on Sunday, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said the amended Electoral Act must give the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) an unambiguous legal mandate to electronically transmit and collate election results from polling units in real time.

Background

On February 4, the Senate rejected a proposal seeking to compel INEC to transmit election results electronically and in real time during the consideration of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

Instead, the Senate retained the existing provision in the Electoral Act, 2022, which allows electronic transmission of results at INEC’s discretion.

The proposed amendment had sought to make electronic transmission mandatory, ensure it occurs in real time, and directly link results from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

Under the current law, INEC is not legally bound to transmit results electronically in real time, with manual transmission and collation remaining the primary method, despite the existence of the IReV platform.

The Senate’s decision has sparked public concern and renewed debate over transparency and credibility in Nigeria’s electoral process.

‘Nigerians Deserve a Transparent Electoral Process’

Ajaero said the NLC was deeply concerned by what it described as confusion and contradictory narratives surrounding the Senate’s handling of the Electoral Act amendment.

According to him, Nigerians deserve an electoral system where votes are not only counted but clearly seen to be counted.

“The Nigerian people deserve a transparent electoral process where their votes are not only counted but seen to be counted,” the statement read.

He urged the Senate to issue an immediate and definitive clarification on the exact provisions passed, warning that ambiguity at such a critical period could undermine public confidence in the electoral system.

“Public records indicate that the proposal to mandate INEC to transmit results electronically in real time was not adopted, and subsequent explanations have only deepened public confusion,” Ajaero said.

He cautioned that legislative uncertainty following the 2023 general elections risks institutionalising distrust and reviving past electoral controversies that have caused national tension.

The NLC president also called on the leadership of the National Assembly to ensure that the harmonisation process between both chambers produces a final bill with clear and enforceable provisions on result transmission and collation.

“The amended Act must provide an unambiguous mandate for INEC to electronically transmit and collate results from polling units in real time. The path to the 2027 elections must be built on certainty, not confusion,” he stated.

Ajaero warned that failure to address the issue could provoke strong resistance from Nigerian workers and citizens.

“Failure to include real-time electronic transmission will lead to mass action before, during and after the elections, or a total boycott of the polls,” the statement said.

He added that Nigeria must choose transparency and integrity in its electoral laws, stressing the need to avoid the confusion that followed the recent tax reform legislation.

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