The Senate Committee on Electoral Matters has decided to make it mandatory for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to upload election results online.
The committee chairman, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, revealed this decision during an interview with Channels TV on Tuesday.
He clarified that while the current law does not explicitly require INEC to upload results, the committee is committed to amending the law to make it mandatory.
“Under the current law, it is not mandatory for INEC to upload results, that is what the court has said. But as we are going forward, it is going to be mandatory,” Alli emphasized.
This decision aligns with the committee’s broader efforts to reform Nigeria’s electoral system and address some of the challenges that have emerged in recent elections.
Alli outlined other proposed reforms, including resolving all pre-election matters before the election and upgrading election technology.
“We looked at elections and election petitions. In terms of legislation about election petitions, what we think is all pre-election matters resolved before the election,” he explained.
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Moreover, the committee aims to expedite the election petition process to ensure that election disputes are resolved before the swearing-in of elected officials. “We are also looking at a situation where election petitions are concluded before swearing in,” Alli stated.
The committee is also addressing the shortcomings of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) device, which encountered technical glitches during the 2023 general elections. “We are thinking of approving the time within which to file and conclude election petitions so that somebody will not be sworn in, that is what led us into having these off-cycle elections. There would have been no need for it if we were able to conclude election petitions before the swearing in,” Alli explained.
“We are looking at the development of technology, improvement on technology because a lot of Nigerians were disappointed when the use of the IReV didn’t work, but going forward, we will try to ensure INEC do something about that,” he added.
The Senate Committee on Electoral Matters’ proposed reforms represent a concerted effort to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral system and enhance public confidence in the electoral process. By mandating online result uploads, resolving pre-election matters, expediting election petitions, and upgrading election technology, the committee aims to foster a more transparent, accountable, and efficient electoral system.