Nigeria not ready for real-time upload of election results, says Opeyemi Bamidele

Opeyemi Bamidele, senate leader, says Nigeria is not prepared for mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results due to gaps in communications and power infrastructure.

In a statement issued on Sunday by his directorate of media and public affairs, Bamidele said available data showed that Nigeria’s infrastructure cannot currently support real-time upload of results nationwide.

The upper chamber had  resolved against clause 60(3) of the Electoral Bill, 2026, which provides that the presiding officer “shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time”.

The senate subsequently reviewed the clause andretained electronic transmission with a caveat that, where there is internet failure, Form EC8A will serve as the primary means of result collation.

Bamidele said clause 60(3) of the bill “is an initiative that any legislature or parliament globally will have embraced ordinarily”.

Citing figures from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Bamidele said broadband coverage stood at about 70 per cent in 2025, while internet penetration was 44.53 per cent of the population.

He also referenced the Speedtest Global Index, which ranked Nigeria 85th out of 105 countries in mobile network reliability and 129th out of 150 countries in fixed broadband reliability.

“Based on the Speedtest Global Index, Nigeria’s mobile network reliability was 44.14 megabits per second,” he said.

“This is extremely low compared with the UAE, which has 691.76 Mbps; Qatar with 573.53 Mbps; Kuwait’s 415.67 Mbps; Bahrain’s 303.21 Mbps; and Bulgaria’s 289.41 Mbps. The Index placed Nigeria far below the global average.

“Nigeria’s fixed internet broadband rating is quite low by the global standard. Out of 150 countries, Nigeria occupied 129th position with only 33.32 Mbps.”

Bamidele also said at least 85 million Nigerians lack access to grid electricity, representing about 43 per cent of the population.

“This shortfall speaks to the state of our power infrastructure,” he said. (The Cable)