By Felicia Imohimi
Abuja, Feb.13, 2026 (NAN) ActionAid, civil society organisations and other stakeholders have urged the Federal Government to invest in reliable technology infrastructure, including Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), result viewing portal and network systems.
The stakeholders said such investment was to support effective electronic transmission in the few blind spots.
They made the call at the expert meeting and citizens town hall on “Electoral Act Amendment” organised by ActionAid on Friday in Abuja.
Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, Mr Andrew Mamedu, said the meeting was to deliberate on the National Assembly’s recent amendment to Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act.
Mamedu said that the amendment permited presiding officers to transmit election results electronically from polling units after Form EC8A has been signed.
According to him, with the provision where electronic transmission fails, the signed Form EC8A remains the valid source of results.
Mamedu called for reforms to strengthen confidence in the electoral system, including an independent audit of technological failures recorded in previous elections.
“We had a glitch in the last presidential election regarding result transmission, and nobody has told Nigerians what happened.
“Transparency will help rebuild public trust and encourage participation in the electoral process.
“It will put more trust and confidence in the people to come out and carry out their electoral duties,” he said.
Mamedu called for collaboration among Independent National Electoral Commission, political parties, the courts and civil society.
This, he said, was to prevent a repeat of past challenges, including issues relating to technology deployment and legal processes.
‘’The country can temporarily seek external technical support, if local systems cannot be fully prepared before the next election in order to mitigate infrastructure constraints, ‘’ he said.
According to him, the town hall meeting is designed to share the position and recommendations emerging from the expert meeting.
‘’It also aims to engage citizens media and stakeholders in understanding the implications of the amendment for Nigeria’s democracy.
‘’Also, it aims to present the expert consensus and policy recommendations from the closed-door meeting; provide clarity on the implications of Clause 60(3) for election integrity and transparency.
“It fosters informed public debate on Nigeria’s electoral reforms; ensure accountability by engaging citizens and the media in the reform process,” Mamedu said.
A Public Policy Scholar, Prof. Sam Amadi, said the expert roundtable reaffirmed that credible elections were essential for democratic legitimacy, political stability, and good governance in Nigeria.
Amadi emphasised that electronic transmission of election results represented a major reform innovation that strengthened electoral transparency and protected the integrity of election outcomes.
He however, said that the Senate amendment might undermine electronic transmission by prioritising manual results, thereby weakening electoral safeguards and public confidence in the electoral process.
‘’Participants at the meeting emphasised that electoral reform must focus on strengthening electronic transmission, enhancing institutional independence, improving legal clarity, and addressing structural weaknesses affecting electoral integrity.
“The future of Nigeria’s democracy depends on ensuring that elections reflect the true will of the people and that electoral reforms strengthen rather than weaken democratic institutions,” he said.
Amadi identified some of the consensus reached and the way forward to include legislative advocacy, implementation of strengthening electoral institutions reforms, policy engagement and public awareness.
“The consensus also recommended judicial and legal reform to promote transparency, efficiency, and fairness.
‘’Also, government, civil society, political parties, judiciary, and electoral management bodies should collaborate to strengthen electoral integrity.
“Nigeria should develop a comprehensive electoral reform agenda that includes electronic voting, strengthening electoral administration, and improving electoral dispute resolution mechanisms.
“In this regard, we call on the National Assembly to conduct a public hearing on the technical glitch that happened in 2023 with witnesses under oath to prevent reoccurrence,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
FUA/EEI/TAK
Edited by Esenvosa Izah/Tosin Kolade
