With less than two years to Nigeria’s next general elections, the debate over how votes are counted—and protected—has once again moved to the centre of national attention.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has warned that ongoing efforts by the leadership of the 10th Senate to weaken proposed amendments to the Electoral Act could undermine public confidence in the democratic process and reopen wounds left by the disputed 2023 polls.
In a statement on Thursday, National Publicity Secretary of the party, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba said Nigerians have already made their position unmistakably clear: elections must be transparent, verifiable, and backed by a clear legal mandate for real-time electronic transmission of results.
The SDP recalled that during the Senate’s nationwide public hearings in 2025 on the Electoral Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill 2026, citizens from across the federation demanded reforms aimed at ending the cycle of post-election controversy. According to the party, those hearings produced a rare national consensus—one that lawmakers are now duty-bound to respect.
Central to that consensus, the party said, are the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), both designed to minimise human interference and seal off opportunities for result manipulation during collation.
“The problem,” the SDP argued, “is not technology, but political will.” Without an explicit legal command compelling presiding officers to transmit results electronically and in real time, the party warned that the integrity of the process remains exposed.
While acknowledging that many senators support electoral reform, the SDP accused a narrow group within the Senate leadership of attempting to dilute key provisions of the bill for partisan advantage. Such manoeuvres, it said, risk placing personal and political interests above the stability of the republic.
The party also pushed back against claims that the electoral umpire lacks capacity, insisting that INEC has demonstrated the infrastructure, expertise, and readiness to deploy electronic transmission nationwide—if not constrained by legal uncertainty or political interference.
As preparations for the 2027 elections begin in earnest, the SDP framed the moment as a defining test of leadership. It called on civil society organisations, democratic institutions, and citizens to remain engaged and vocal, warning that electoral credibility cannot be negotiated behind closed doors.
Nigeria, the party concluded, stands at a democratic crossroads. The decisions taken now, it said, will determine whether the country moves forward toward credible elections or slips back into the familiar cycle of distrust and disputed outcomes.
2027 Looms as SDP Faults Senate Resistance to Electoral Transparency
