Nigeria Isn’t Ready for Real-Time Election Result Transmission — APC Chieftain, Abiodun Ajiboye
APC chieftain Abiodun Ajiboye has raised serious concerns about Nigeria’s readiness for real-time electronic transmission of election results, citing poor infrastructure and security vulnerabilities as major obstacles.
Speaking on Arise TV on Monday, February 9, Ajiboye explained, “Transmitting election results electronically is the function of the manner of voting. If you vote manually, and you collate results, how do you then transmit electronically real-time? It’s just not possible. We can’t even afford it. Even if we wish to, we can’t afford it.”
He questioned the country’s telecom and power infrastructure, asking, “Do the telecom operators have that capability? Do we have enough electricity to undertake that responsibility in Nigeria? Is the infrastructure of telecom companies sufficient enough to undertake such exercise?”
Ajiboye also highlighted security risks, noting that during the last election, the INEC server faced over a million cyber-attacks. “Putting the electoral process within the vulnerability of hijackers, causing a lot of confusion, is what I see them pushing,” he said.
Emphasizing the continued importance of manual processes, Ajiboye added, “There are manual parts of election. You vote, and they count the votes there, the party agents append their signatures on the paper, the paper can then be scanned and transmitted anyhow you want.”
He concluded firmly that Nigeria currently lacks the capability for electronic voting or real-time result transmission. “America does not even do real-time transmission. Some rural communities in Nigeria don’t even have electricity or telecom services. You’re trying to disenfranchise a lot of people by pushing for what is not possible technologically.”
Ajiboye urged lawmakers to reconsider rushing into adopting difficult systems that could lead to chaos rather than improved elections.