The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged the Federal Government to simplify the recently amended Electoral Act to make its provisions easier for Nigerians to understand.
Speaking at a citizens’ town hall meeting organised by the Civil Society Network on Election Integrity and the Electoral Act in Abuja on Sunday, INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, said the country needs legislation written in clear and accessible language to enable broader public comprehension.
According to him, the complexity of the current law has contributed to misunderstandings, particularly around contentious issues such as the real-time transmission of election results.
“We have gone through the Electoral Act from beginning to end and examined some of the contentious areas, especially in a country as diverse as Nigeria,” Amupitan said.
“What Nigeria needs is what I call simple legislation — written in a way that makes it possible for every Nigerian to understand and appreciate the provisions of every section.”
Addressing the controversy over result transmission, the INEC chairman noted that while the commission supports mandating electronic transmission, the major challenge lies in defining what constitutes “real-time” transmission.
“When INEC came in, we thought transmission should be mandated. But we must be sincere — the real issue is how to define ‘real time,’” he stated.
He cited the recent Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections as an example, explaining that while results from five area councils were transmitted promptly, results from Kabi Ward in Kuje Area Council were delayed until the following day due to communication challenges.
“We could not reach our officers; they were not accessible by phone,” he said.
Amupitan maintained that the challenge is not with the concept of electronic transmission itself but with infrastructural limitations.
“I don’t see the issue of transmission as a problem; the problem is the adequacy of the network we have,” he added.
“You expect that in a place like the FCT, you should be able to transmit results without encumbrance. But we had a situation where real-time transmission was impossible because of coverage issues.”
The INEC chairman’s remarks come amid ongoing debates over the implementation of electronic result transmission and the broader interpretation of provisions within the amended Electoral Act.
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