The Digest:
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declined to comment on the controversy surrounding the Senate's Electoral Act amendment, particularly the clause on real-time electronic transmission of election results. Adedayo Oketola, chief press secretary to INEC chairman Joash Amupitan, said that the commission will not comment until the legislative process is finalised, stating: "The amendment of the Electoral Act 2022 is still an ongoing process." The controversy began February 4 when the Senate rejected mandatory real-time transmission, retaining discretionary electronic transfer. Following protests led by Peter Obi and Rotimi Amaechi, the Senate held an emergency plenary on February 10, approving electronic transmission but with a manual fallback clause where technology fails. The House of Representatives has adopted mandatory real-time transmission. Both chambers now face harmonisation.
Key Points:
- INEC's silence leaves voters and civil society without clarity on the commission's technical capacity ahead of 2027.
- It sustains public uncertainty about whether real-time transmission is feasible or a political bargaining chip.
- The commission preserves institutional neutrality, while stakeholders lack critical information for informed advocacy.
- This signals deference to legislative supremacy over independent technical assessment and public communication.
- The timing, mid-harmonisation, reflects strategic avoidance of influencing a live political process.
Sources: TheCable, INEC, National Assembly
