Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has declared that the National Assembly must act urgently to amend the Electoral Act to make electronic transmission of results from polling units mandatory.
Atiku made the comment while receiving a delegation of young Nigerians led by Ukpola Chinedu, convener of the Nigeria Electoral Reform Coalition (NERCO).
He said he agreed with the group’s demand that credible and transparent elections are vital to Nigeria’s democracy.
“I could relate to the urgency in their demands that the National Assembly amend the current Electoral Act to make electronic transmission of results from polling units mandatory,” Atiku said.
The former vice-president said the group expressed concern that the discretion currently given to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on result transmission affected the credibility of the 2023 general election.
He said the delegation also proposed that the power to appoint INEC officials be removed from the president and replaced with a transparent, citizen-led recruitment process.
Atiku said he supports the group’s efforts to ensure that “every vote counts” in future elections.
“I am of the firm belief that the full deployment of technology in Nigeria’s election process has become necessary and supports the call on the National Assembly to act with urgency as 2027 approaches,” he said.
He urged local and international organisations concerned about Nigeria’s electoral process to sustain pressure on the National Assembly until the needed reforms are achieved.