Minna, Niger State — Former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has cautioned that the combination of electronic and manual transmission of election results poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s electoral integrity, warning that it could deepen confusion and undermine public confidence in the system.
Atiku made the remarks on Tuesday in Minna while speaking to journalists after a courtesy visit to former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd.).
According to him, Nigerians had anticipated a fully electronic transmission of results at all levels of the electoral process, but were instead confronted with a hybrid system that risks compromising credibility.
“What Nigerians were expecting was electronic transmission of results across the various levels of the election. What we got instead was a mixture of electronic and manual transmission, which is going to cause more confusion and could jeopardise our electoral transmission system,” Atiku said.
He stressed that real-time electronic transmission remains the most reliable method for delivering transparent and credible elections in the country.
Meanwhile, the Senate has inaugurated a 12-member Electoral Act Conference Committee to harmonise differences in the proposed amendments to the Electoral Act. The committee will work with its counterpart in the House of Representatives to reconcile contentious provisions and present a unified bill for final approval.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the composition of the committee during an emergency plenary session on Tuesday.
Atiku also urged opposition political parties to close ranks and collectively push for electoral reforms, particularly on electronic transmission of results.
“There is a need for all opposition political parties to come together to pursue this issue. We should not allow it to rest where some people want it to rest,” he said.
Addressing speculations about his political ambition ahead of the 2027 general elections, the former vice president dismissed such claims, describing his visit to Babangida as purely a traditional courtesy call.
“The issue of whether I will be contesting the 2027 election has not even arisen,” he stated.
Atiku further disclosed that his party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is currently focused on strengthening its structures nationwide, with active mobilisation and registration at ward, local government, state and national levels.
He added that the ADC constitution does not provide for zoning of political offices.
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