Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has raised fresh concerns over the credibility of the 2027 general elections following the Senate’s decision to remove from the electoral act passed into law sections approving the real-time electronic transmission of election results during polls across the country.
According to him, the decision undermines public trust and weakens confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process at a time when democracies across the world are leveraging technology to strengthen election integrity.
Atiku, in a statement released on Thursday while reacting to the lawmakers’ decision on the provisions of the electoral act, described the Senate’s action as a deliberate assault on electoral transparency and a major setback for democratic reform in the country.
“The decision of the Nigerian Senate to reject the real-time electronic transmission of election results is a deliberate assault on electoral transparency.
“This ill-advised action represents a grave setback for electoral reform and a calculated blow against transparency, credibility, and public trust in Nigeria’s democratic process.”
He argued that while other democracies are adopting technology to improve accountability and reduce electoral fraud, Nigeria appears to be moving in the opposite direction by clinging to what he described as opacity and loopholes that have historically enabled manipulation, tampering and post-election disputes.
Atiku stressed that real-time electronic transmission of results is not a partisan demand but a fundamental democratic safeguard designed to limit human interference and ensure that results announced at polling units accurately reflect the will of voters.
“Real-time electronic transmission of results reduces human interference, limits result manipulation, and ensures that the will of the voter, expressed at the polling unit, is faithfully reflected in the outcome,” he said.
“To reject it is to signal an unwillingness to submit elections to public scrutiny.”
The former vice president warned that the Senate’s decision raises serious questions about the commitment of the ruling political establishment to free, fair and credible elections in 2027.
He alleged a consistent pattern in which reforms that enhance transparency are resisted, while ambiguities that favour incumbency are preserved.
“Nigerians cannot ignore the pattern: every reform that strengthens transparency is resisted, while every ambiguity that benefits incumbency is preserved,” he said.
Reiterating his long-held position on electoral reform, Atiku said democracy must evolve in line with time, technology and the legitimate expectations of citizens.
He argued that elections should be decided strictly by voters, not by manual delays, behind-the-scenes alterations, procedural loopholes or post-election judicial interventions.
“Elections must be decided by voters, not by manual delays, backroom alterations, procedural excuses or even by the courts,” he said.
Atiku, meanwhile, urged Nigerians, civil society organisations, the media and the international community to closely observe what he described as a troubling regression and to continue pressing for an electoral system that meets modern democratic standards.
“Nigeria deserves elections that are transparent, verifiable, and beyond manipulation. Anything less is an injustice to the electorate and a betrayal of democracy.”
His remarks add to the growing national debate over electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 general elections, as concerns persist over public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
