Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned that it may mobilise workers and citizens for mass protests and possible election boycotts if the National Assembly fails to include mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act 2022.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement released on Sunday, the President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, said the amended law must clearly compel the Independent National Electoral Commission to transmit and collate election results electronically from polling units in real time, stressing that anything short of this would undermine public trust in the electoral process.
“The Nigerian people deserve a transparent electoral process where their votes are not only counted but seen to be counted,” the statement read.
“We urge the Senate to provide an immediate, official, and unambiguous account of its proceedings and final decisions.”
The warning followed the Senate’s decision on February 4 to reject a proposal that would make real-time electronic transmission of results compulsory. Instead, lawmakers retained the existing provision in the Electoral Act 2022, which allows INEC to transmit results electronically at its discretion.
Under the current framework, manual transmission and collation of results remain the dominant method, even though INEC operates the Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
The proposed amendment sought to make electronic transmission compulsory, ensure real-time uploading of results, and link the process directly to IReV to improve transparency and reduce manipulation.
However, the Senate’s refusal to adopt the proposal has triggered widespread criticism, public anger, and renewed concerns about the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral system.
Ajaero said the labour congress was troubled by what he described as conflicting explanations from the Senate regarding the final content of the amended bill, insisting that Nigerians deserve full clarity.
“Public records suggest the proposed amendment to mandate INEC to transmit results electronically in real-time was not adopted, with the existing discretionary provision retained. This has generated nationwide apprehension, and subsequent explanations have only added to the confusion,” he said.
“At a critical juncture following the 2023 elections, such legislative ambiguity risks institutionalising doubt at the heart of our electoral integrity and echoes past controversies that have caused national distress.”
He added that the National Assembly must ensure the final version of the bill contains clear, precise, and enforceable provisions, warning that any loopholes could weaken democratic accountability.
“The amended Act must provide an unambiguous mandate for INEC to electronically transmit and collate results from polling units in real-time. The path to the 2027 elections must be built on certainty, not confusion,” the statement added.
NLC also cautioned that failure to include the real-time electronic transmission clause could lead to widespread resistance.
“Failure to add electronic transmission real-time will lead to mass action before, during and after the election or total boycott of the Election. Our nation must choose the path of clarity and integrity. We need to avoid the same confusion that trailed the new Tax Acts.”
The labour body said it is already mobilising its networks across the country to push for transparency and warned that Nigerian workers and citizens are closely monitoring developments surrounding the amendment of the Electoral Act.
