The Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) has said no country in the world transmit elections result live.
The group in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Abdulrazaq O Hamzat, stated further that only about 474 Local Government Areas (LGAs) out of 774 recognized have access to banks while 77 per cent lack internet.
PeacePro asserted that, any proposal for mandatory live electronic transmission must reflect Nigeria’s infrastructural reality, including internet and financial access disparities.
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The Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) acknowledges the ongoing national debate concerning the mandatory live electronic transmission of election results in Nigeria.
While the ambition to strengthen electoral integrity through digital technology is commendable, it is critical that any legislative framework be grounded in the realities of Nigeria’s current digital and infrastructural landscape.
1. Current State of Financial and Internet Infrastructure
Data from the Association of Mobile Money and Bank Agents in Nigeria (AMMBAN) indicates that approximately 300 out of Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) do not have any commercial bank branch. Conversely, about 474 LGAs do have at least one commercial bank branch presence.
This underscores that even basic financial infrastructure is unevenly distributed across the country, particularly disadvantaging rural LGAs.
Similarly, government planning data from the National Development Plan 2021–2025 shows that as of 2023, about 473 LGAs had internet access, meaning approximately 301 LGAs still lack reliable internet connectivity, which is essential for supporting formal digital services such as electronic result transmission.
The urban-rural digital divide further compounds this challenge: only 23% of rural communities have internet access, compared to 57% in urban areas.
This reality is reflected in overall national internet usage, which stood at roughly 36% of the population in 2024.
Initiatives like Project 774 LG Connectivity, aimed at expanding internet service to all LGA secretariats through satellite and broadband infrastructure, are ongoing but not yet completed.
2. Legal Mandate Must Reflect Reality
Even though approximately 301 LGAs have weak or no internet access, it does not imply that all polling units in those LGAs are offline.
Importantly, electronic transmission does not need to rely exclusively on live mobile data from every polling unit. A law can mandate electronic transmission with design features that ensure functionality even in low-connectivity areas, including Fallback options, Offline to online syncing, Satellite support and Staged transmission from Polling Unit to Ward to LGA and to State.
The central issue is not whether the law exists, but whether its design is implementable given Nigeria’s infrastructural realities. A law stating that:
“Every polling unit must transmit results electronically immediately”
…without accommodating connectivity gaps would inevitably produce delays, loopholes, legal disputes, and opportunities for manipulation.
3. Recommended Design for a Workable Legal Framework
PeacePro advocates that any law mandating electronic transmission of election results should include practical provisions such as Mandatory Electronic Upload Within a Defined Time Window, for example, results must be uploaded within 2–6 hours after collation, rather than “immediately,” to allow for offline capture and connectivity issues.
Mandatory BVAS/IREV-Style Upload, Results should be uploaded as scanned result sheets and figures to ensure verification and transparency.
Offline Capture Allowed, Devices must securely store results when offline and automatically upload once connectivity is available.
Fallback Transmission Channels, Use satellite hotspots at ward/LGA collation centers.
Deploy dedicated NCC supported election connectivity where possible.
Criminal Penalties For refusal to upload, deliberate device disabling, or tampering, to enforce compliance.
4. International Experience
Globally, mandatory live electronic transmission from every polling unit is extremely rare, if not totally none existence.
Kenya mandates electronic transmission from polling stations, but implementation has faced disputes due to network issues. Philippines uses Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines to electronically transmit results after counting.
Brazil and Estonia have highly digitized reporting, but results are not streamed live from every polling unit.
No country has successfully implemented instant live transmission from every polling unit without exceptions, underscoring that ambitious legal mandates must account for infrastructural limitations.
5. PeacePro Position
Based on all credible data, PeacePro asserts that, any proposal for mandatory live electronic transmission must reflect Nigeria’s infrastructural reality, including internet and financial access disparities.
Laws must be practically implementable, with provisions for offline capture, fallback channels, and time bound uploads.
Failure to account for these realities would create legal, operational, and electoral risks.
PeacePro supports secure, transparent, and digitally enhanced elections, but rejects unimplementable mandates that ignore the 301 LGAs without reliable internet or areas lacking financial and technological infrastructure.
In conclusion, the path to credible elections is not in idealistic “live everywhere” mandates, but in well designed, evidence based legal frameworks that accommodate Nigeria’s digital and infrastructural realities while ensuring transparency, inclusivity, and electoral integrity.
