Credible Elections Would Oust Most Current Leaders, Says Sowore
Human rights activist and former AAC presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has warned that credible and transparent elections in Nigeria would significantly reshape the country’s political scene, with many current officeholders likely losing their positions.
Sowore made the comments on Wednesday during Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, responding to debates over the recently amended Electoral Act, especially the sections governing the transmission and collation of election results.
While the Senate approved electronic transmission of results, it retained a provision allowing manual collation in areas with limited internet access, a decision that has faced criticism nationwide.
“This argument about network gaps is just an excuse,” Sowore said.
“Lawmakers fear fully transparent elections because most of them—including key figures in the National Assembly and even the presidency—would lose their seats if elections were truly open.”
He described the decision to keep manual collation as a tactic that undermines the benefits of electronic transmission and risks reverting to the old, flawed system of announcing results.
According to Sowore, this approach erodes public confidence and leaves room for manipulation.
Sowore also criticised INEC’s result management system, particularly the IREV platform, describing it as outdated and below international standards.
He urged Nigeria to move toward full electronic voting, citing India’s system for nearly 900 million voters as a model of efficiency and security.
“Nigeria has around 90 million registered voters. If India can run safe electronic elections on a much larger scale, there’s no reason we cannot do the same,” he said.
Sowore also questioned why the country still relies on manual voting processes when citizens already carry out secure digital transactions daily.
He concluded that without adopting modern technology for elections, public trust will remain low and democratic development will continue to face limitations.
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.
