INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan says Nigeria may not achieve 100 per cent real-time electronic transmission of results in 2027 due to infrastructure and logistical constraints, but assures credible elections.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has said Nigeria may not attain 100 per cent real-time electronic transmission of election results ahead of the 2027 general elections, citing logistical and network limitations in parts of the country. Amupitan spoke on Sunday in Abuja during a Citizens’ Townhall Meeting on the Electoral Act 2026 organised by the Civil Society Network on Electoral Integrity.
He assured Nigerians that the Commission remains committed to delivering what he described as the most credible election in the nation’s history and disclosed plans to conduct a mock presidential election to test its technological systems before 2027. According to him, while electronic transmission of results is achievable, guaranteeing instantaneous or real-time uploads nationwide remains challenging, particularly in remote areas. Drawing from experiences during the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, he noted that connectivity and terrain posed difficulties.
“In some locations, electoral officials deployed to polling units could not be reached for hours because of poor telecommunications access. Movement to certain wards took several hours due to difficult terrain, making real-time transmission impossible,” he said. Amupitan added that the challenge was not necessarily network failure but the adequacy and reliability of communication infrastructure, likening it to electronic banking delays. “The issue is not whether results will be transmitted. The law provides alternatives. Even if real-time transmission encounters delays, results must still be uploaded and collated,” he stated, stressing that logistics remain the most critical determinant of election success.
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