Atiku urges opposition parties to push for full electronic voting in Nigeria, criticising partial Senate reforms that mix electronic and manual results
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on opposition political parties to unite in advocating for fully electronic elections, warning that a mixture of electronic and manual transmission could create confusion and undermine Nigeria’s electoral credibility.
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Speaking at a press briefing following a private meeting with former Military President General Ibrahim Babangida, Atiku stressed that the recent Senate amendment to Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act which allows electronic transmission but retains manual collation as a fallback falls short of delivering real-time transparency.
“The expectations of Nigerians, Nigerians who are expecting real-time electronic transfer to the various levels of the elections, but what we got is a mixture of electronic and manual transmission, which is going to cause more confusion or chaos than if we have a single-tier, you know, electoral transmission system, which is real-time electronic. That would be our preference. And I think there is need for all the opposition political parties to come together to pursue this issue,” Atiku said.
Atiku rejected the partial reform, stating, “I mean we shouldn’t allow it to rest where they wanted it to rest today. Absolutely not. I don’t support that.”
He further highlighted that the African Democratic Congress, his current party, does not implement zoning in its constitution, contrasting it with the PDP.
The ex-Vice President also addressed his presence in Minna, stressing that he was focused on strengthening party structures nationwide rather than discussing the 2027 presidential election.
“The issue of contesting the 2027 election does not even arise. I am a member of ADC, and we are busy trying to make sure that our structures are firmly rooted, from the ward level, local government level, state level, up to the national level. And we are busy mobilising people and also registering at the same time,” he said.
Atiku’s remarks come in the wake of the Senate’s emergency plenary session, which revised the Electoral Act to permit electronic transmission of results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal.
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The amendment retains manual collation where network failures occur and stops short of mandating real-time electronic uploads, prompting calls from civil society and opposition leaders for a stronger commitment to electoral transparency.
