The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has defended the National Assembly’s decision to include both electronic and manual transmission of results in the amended Electoral Act.

Speaking during a meeting over the weekend with the Ambassador of Spain to Nigeria, Ambassador Felix Costales, who visited his office in Abuja, Abbas explained that the internet penetration in Nigeria is still at a very low level and approving electronic transmission alone might disenfranchise a lot of Nigerians in the 2027 elections.

He also argued that allowing electronic transmission alone would lead to greater voter apathy in elections because people without internet connectivity would not want to participate in the elections.

The Speaker submitted that this is why the lawmakers in their wisdom said the Electoral Act should be a hybrid, combining both manual and electronic systems, such that where it is feasible to use the electronic transmission, it will be used, and where it is not possible, the manual will be used.

He, however, assured that despite the protests and concerns that have trailed the recently passed electoral act, his interaction with the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has shown that the commission is ready to conduct credible, transparent and inclusive elections in 2027.

The Speaker said, “…as you said, sometimes people scream far beyond the exact level of the issue. Many people think we need to embrace real-time electronic transmission in Nigeria. Still, within the very short time you’ve been in Nigeria, you should be able to speak to the quality of our internet network. You should know that even in advanced cities like Abuja, you are not guaranteed stable internet services all the time.

“Based on the NCC report, they said Nigeria is still underserved by almost 40 per cent, which means 40 per cent of territories at large in Nigeria are not covered by the internet. Now, tell me: for those who say we should go ahead and do that already, if you look at the number of our registered voters in this country, it is alarming. It is sad to say that, even with the manual arrangement we are using, we are only able to capture about 12-15 per cent of registered voters who come to vote every four years—that’s voter apathy. Very few people go out to vote.

“Now, if we are to introduce (only) the electronic system, it will further reduce the number because 40 per cent of the country will probably not be able to vote as they don’t have adequate internet services. It means what we should be expecting is not only disenfranchising the voters, denying some people the right to vote, but we will also record, perhaps, the lowest number of voters in the next elections. These are all avoidable. That is why, in our wisdom, we said the Electoral Act should be a hybrid, combining both manual and electronic systems. Where it is feasible to use the electronic transmission, use the electronic transmission; where it is not possible, use the manual, because there is no way one form, particularly the electronic, can be used entirely in all parts of the country for the elections.”

Speaker Abbas argued that opposition lawmakers, who rose against the inclusion of both electronic and manual transmission of results know the true situation of internet services in the country and the challenges that may come with real time electronic transmisison of results.

“The opposition, even though they know the truth, they are Nigerians, they live in Nigeria, they travel all over Nigeria, they know that the level of internet penetration in Nigeria is inadequate. There is no way you can have transparent elections with an inadequate system, and due to our country’s energy crisis, we do not have enough electricity. The internet is always powered; how do you power the entire country on the day of the election so phones and internet work, with adequate electricity? All those are challenges that, for now, will not provide us the opportunity to do real-time transmission online,” he said.

The Speaker added that democracy is a work in progress in Nigeria and areas of improvement are always been explored.

He expressed hope that Spain would continue to support the country to get better.

“In our entire democracy, we will continue to improve year after year, election after election. America is not what it is today (just like that) if you look at its history. All democracies undergo challenges. I believe Nigeria, with the support of countries like Spain, will do better.

“We expect you to continue to guide us and give us all the technical advice and support to do better, particularly in the National Assembly, through collaboration between your country and our parliament. It will go a long way toward strengthening our competence, particularly in legislative drafting and related areas. I believe that with what you have in Spain, Nigeria can benefit a lot.

“You cannot say you have everything that you require. You keep on learning. We believe that Nigeria is not doing badly, even though it may not be at the rate the international community would want to see. We are moving slowly and gradually. I assure you that the next election will be more transparent, accommodating, and inclusive than the previous ones. I had the singular opportunity of being with the new INEC chairman. I heard all his plans—what he is planning to do. I believe if all that he said is implemented, Nigeria will move forward,” the Speaker said.

Earlier, the Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria revealed that his country also transmits election results manually.

Amb. Contales said his visit was to seek the Nigerian Parliament’s understanding to deepen bilateral relations between the two countries, especially in legislative diplomacy.

“You can count on us, whatever we can do to deepen Nigerian democracy. Yes, there may be challenges, but you can count on us in any way possible.”

“I know it is a busy time for the parliament with the approval of a new Electoral Act. I wanted to come and visit you before then. We have the elections here already. Because of the importance of your country, we want to deepen parliamentary diplomacy with Nigeria. It is not yet as developed as we have with other nations, but it is something we should try and welcome in the future, maybe after the elections,” the Spanish diplomat said.

On the elections, he said, “Of course, we are going to follow closely the electoral period ahead of us. It is a long period; elections are always big times; opinions are always polarised. Sometimes, when you dig down, you realise the issues are not as big as they seem in public discourse. It happens a lot in Spain, where politics is now very, very polarised in Parliament. We also have the minority; it is a phenomenon we witness in Europe and other nations, including the US, where there is polarisation.

“At the end of the day, if you want to move forward in democracy, you have to reach some level of compromise. We have to try to govern by consensus. Of course, there is rivalry in the game of parliament; we all know this. You go to elections and try to win.”

Speaker Abbas received the Spanish Ambassador in the company of the Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Hon. Abubakar Kabir Bichi; the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hon. Wole Oke; and the Chairman of the Nigeria-China Parliamentary Friendship Group, Hon. Jafaru Yakubu.