News

Electronic Transmission: Igini Warns Lawmakers Risk Losing Seats in 2027

ByTitilope Adako

PublishedFebruary 16, 2026

A former Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mike Igini, has warned that many federal lawmakers may lose their seats in the 2027 general elections if the Electoral Act is amended without making real-time electronic transmission of results from polling units compulsory.

Igini gave the warning in a statement made available to journalists on Sunday, titled “Proviso to Real-Time E-Transmission of Polling Unit Results: Why a Majority of Legislators May Not Return in 2027.”

He urged members of the National Assembly to learn from previous electoral cycles, arguing that loopholes left in electoral laws have often worked against sitting legislators.

He said earlier that Assemblies ignored well-documented weaknesses in the electoral framework for political convenience, only to later become victims of the same flaws.

Igini explained that lawmakers who lost the backing of influential party figures were frequently unable to defend their mandates, even when they enjoyed genuine grassroots support.

He warned that the current legislature risks repeating the same pattern if ambiguities around electronic transmission remain in the law.

According to him, real-time electronic transmission to the INEC Result Viewing Portal is the most effective safeguard against post-election manipulation, as publicly viewable results deter tampering and make any alterations easier to detect.

Igini also pointed to the high turnover rate in the National Assembly, saying more than 60 to 70 per cent of legislators typically fail to secure re-election, a trend he described as harmful to governance and institutional memory.

He argued that constant turnover weakens legislative oversight, wastes public resources on repeated induction and retraining, and disrupts continuity in law-making.

Addressing concerns about poor network coverage, Igini dismissed the claim, citing surveys conducted by INEC and the Nigerian Communications Commission before 2022 which reported over 97 per cent nationwide coverage.

He warned that inserting qualifying clauses into the law could create opportunities for collusion and deliberate network disruptions on election day.

Igini therefore called on lawmakers to remove any provisions that weaken electronic safeguards, insisting that real-time transmission is essential both for the survival of democracy and for legislators seeking re-election.

The debate over electronic transmission remains central to ongoing discussions on amendments to the Electoral Act, after the Senate recently reconsidered the disputed clause but stopped short of making electronic transmission mandatory or retaining a provision for real-time upload of results.

Titilope Adako

Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.