A coalition of prominent civil society organisations has warned the National Assembly against weakening electoral safeguards ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting that electronic transmission of results must be made mandatory in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act.
The groups cautioned that making electronic result transmission optional would seriously undermine the credibility of future elections and further erode public trust in Nigeria’s democratic system.
In a joint statement issued on Monday, February 9, 2026, the Coalition Against Corruption and Bad Governance (CACOBAG), the Centre for Credible Elections (CCE), and other allied organisations expressed concern over reports that some federal lawmakers were pushing to remove the mandatory requirement for real-time transmission of election results.
The statement was signed by Toyin Raheem of CACOBAG, Idowu Taiwo of the Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (CCHR), Olutola Folorunsho of the Centre for Policy Development (CPD), and Prince Segun Osarieme of CCE.
The coalition openly criticised the leadership of the National Assembly, specifically naming Senate President Godswill Akpabio, whom they accused of placing personal and political interests above the will of Nigerian voters.
According to the groups, any attempt to dilute the electronic transmission provision is “brazen and deeply troubling,” arguing that many public office holders emerged through flawed electoral processes rather than the genuine mandate of the people.
“It is unfortunate that the leadership of the Senate appears to be working against the interests of Nigerians,” the statement said. “Lawmakers who resist technological progress in elections are unfit to be custodians of our laws.”
The organisations dismissed claims that Nigeria lacks the technical capacity for real-time result transmission, pointing to the widespread use of Point of Sale (POS) machines even in remote communities across the country. They also rejected arguments about the risk of hacking, noting that Nigerians continue to rely on digital banking systems despite similar concerns.
The coalition argued that manual manipulation of results poses a far greater threat to electoral integrity than electronic systems, stressing that publicly transmitted results would be difficult to alter without detection due to both local and international scrutiny.
As part of their advocacy, the groups announced their intention to support the “Occupy National Assembly” movement and outlined a series of demands. These include the inclusion of mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results in the amended Electoral Act, the nullification of any election where results are not electronically transmitted immediately after counting, and the initiation of recall processes against lawmakers who vote to make transmission optional.
They also warned that Nigerians would resist any attempt to compromise the 2027 general elections, insisting that the polls must reflect the true choice of the electorate.
“The era of silence and submission is over,” the statement concluded. “Every vote must count, and the 2027 elections must not be reduced to a sham.”