The Osun State Chapter of the Accord has expressed deep concern over the decision of the Senate to reject the electronic transmission of election results, describing the action as retrogressive, ill-advised, and capable of throwing Nigeria’s electoral jurisprudence into grave confusion.
In a statement signed by the Party state Chairman Pastor Victor Babalola Akande,the party notes that Nigeria’s electoral process has already embraced electronic methods, particularly through the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter accreditation. It is therefore legally, logically, and morally inconsistent to deploy electronic technology to accredit voters in an election, yet insist on manual transmission of results arising from the same exercise.
Such a contradiction, Accord warns, undermines the coherence of the electoral process and exposes it to avoidable disputes, manipulation, and loss of public confidence. An electoral system cannot operate with one leg in the present and the other firmly rooted in the past.
The Accord states that the least expectation from the present Senate, especially in a democracy struggling to deepen credibility and stability, is to advance reforms that strengthen electoral integrity, not to introduce policies that drag the nation a century backwards.
The party queried the true intention behind the rejection of electronic transmission of results, which remains the backbone of modern electoral systems in all sane and progressive democracies across the world. The refusal to align Nigeria’s elections with global best practices raises serious questions about the commitment of the APC-led National Assembly to free, fair, and credible elections.
Accord warns that the attempt to weaken the electoral process through such legislative decisions is capable of plunging the country into avoidable chaos, the consequences of which can only be imagined. Electoral credibility is not negotiable, and any brazen assault on it poses a direct threat to national peace and democratic survival.
The party therefore calls on the international community, democratic institutions, and election observers to prevail on the ruling APC and the National Assembly not to take the patience of Nigerian citizens for granted. Any miscalculation in this regard may haunt and hurt the nation’s democracy in ways that could take years to repair.
Nigeria must move forward.
