Former Bayelsa State Governor and Senator representing Bayelsa West, Seriake Dickson, has said Nigeria is not yet equipped to conduct real-time electronic voting, stressing that the concept is often misunderstood and wrongly assumed to guarantee credible elections.
Speaking during a televised interview, Dickson explained that Nigeria has not reached the technological stage where voters can cast ballots electronically and have results uploaded instantly to a central platform. According to him, pushing for real-time transmission without the necessary infrastructure could create unrealistic expectations.
He described the insistence on real-time upload as unnecessary, noting that the term itself does not automatically ensure transparency. He added that the Senate’s recent amendments to the Electoral Act should not be interpreted as a regression for democracy.
His remarks followed an emergency Senate sitting that revisited controversial sections of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill. During the session, lawmakers approved electronic transmission of results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s result portal while allowing manual collation as a backup in situations where network connectivity is unreliable.
However, the Senate declined to make real-time electronic upload compulsory, a decision that has attracted criticism from civil society groups and election observers who fear it could leave loopholes for manipulation.
Dickson clarified that he was expressing his personal views and not speaking on behalf of the Senate. He revealed that discussions on electronic transmission had spanned nearly two years and involved extensive engagements with INEC and other stakeholders.
He disclosed that he was absent during the earlier Senate debate due to personal loss, explaining that he only returned to legislative duties because of the importance of the issue.
Tracing opposition to electronic transmission to long-standing political resistance, Dickson said similar challenges were encountered during previous attempts to introduce the reform. He noted that ruling parties often resist changes that could weaken their control over election outcomes.
The senator stated that both chambers of the National Assembly had initially reached a consensus on protecting electronic transmission, but that position was later altered during plenary deliberations. He described the reversal as regrettable, especially after INEC had assured lawmakers of its readiness to implement the system.
According to him, Senate leadership later agreed to seek a middle ground, leading to the current position that mandates electronic transmission while permitting manual collation only as a fallback option.
Dickson emphasized that genuine electoral transparency lies in safeguarding polling unit results, particularly the EC8A forms, which he described as the primary evidence of election outcomes.
Although he expressed dissatisfaction with the inclusion of manual collation, he acknowledged that legislative decisions are determined by majority rule. He maintained that the amended clause still makes electronic transmission mandatory for presiding officers.
On harmonising the Senate and House versions of the bill, Dickson said he would support the House position, which reflected earlier joint committee agreements.
He also opposed proposals seeking to compel all political parties to adopt direct primaries, arguing that no party has the authority to impose its internal processes on others, especially smaller parties.
Concluding, Dickson stressed that electoral reform must be progressive rather than abrupt, adding that the current amendments represent a significant step toward improved transparency and accountability.
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