Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, has urged the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In his statement shared today, Agbakoba highlighted ongoing legal uncertainties in Nigeria’s electoral process, noting that the Supreme Court’s ruling on the 2023 elections clarified that electronic transmission (such as via the IReV platform) lacks legal force without explicit statutory provision in the Electoral Act.

He described this as rendering it “optional and legally inconsequential,” which imposes an “insurmountable evidentiary burden” on petitioners in election disputes and undermines public confidence in the process.

Agbakoba emphasized the need to break what he called the “vicious cycle” of disputed polls and repeated post-election amendments.

He pointed to the June 12, 1993, election as Nigeria’s “gold standard for electoral credibility,” arguing that real-time digital transmission now technologically feasible represents a practical step toward restoring transparency and trust in democracy.

“Democracy demands nothing less,” he stated, calling on lawmakers to act promptly to enshrine mandatory electronic transmission before the 2027 polls to prevent future controversies and strengthen electoral integrity.