Former Bayelsa State Governor and Senator representing Bayelsa West, Seriake Dickson, has declared that Nigeria is not yet technologically positioned for electronic voting, describing the push for “real-time” transmission of election results as unnecessary and widely misunderstood.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Tuesday, Dickson argued that the concept of real-time transmission does not automatically guarantee electoral transparency.
“What is the meaning of real time? We are not voting electronically in Nigeria. We are not at the point where you go and press a button and your vote is instantly added to a portal,” he said.
According to him, the term “real-time” is “superfluous” in the current Nigerian electoral framework and should not have been inserted into the Electoral Act Amendment Bill in the first place.
Senate’s Decision Not a Democratic Setback
Dickson dismissed claims that the Senate’s recent action on Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill represents a regression for democracy.
“I don’t count the proceedings of today and the outcome as a loss for democracy,” he stated.
The Senate had convened an emergency plenary following public backlash and approved the transmission of results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IREV).
However, lawmakers retained manual collation as a fallback option in cases of network failure and stopped short of making real-time upload compulsory.
Critics argue that the absence of explicit real-time transmission requirements could leave room for manipulation.
Dickson, however, maintained that electronic transmission remains mandatory under the amended clause.
“Every presiding officer shall transmit the result electronically.
That is mandatory. That is what we passed today,” he insisted.
Two Years of Deliberations with INEC
The senator revealed that discussions on electronic transmission spanned nearly two years, involving multiple workshops, joint committee sessions, and consultations with INEC.
“This has been going on for about two years or so — different workshops, conferences at the Senate Committee, joint committees and also interactions with INEC,” he explained.
Dickson disclosed that he was absent during the earlier controversial Senate decision due to personal bereavement, having lost his brother, the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State.
“Today was the very first day I went to sit in the Senate because of the importance of this matter,” he said.
‘Unfortunate’ Reversal and Political Resistance
Tracing resistance to electronic transmission to longstanding political divisions, Dickson noted that similar opposition emerged during the 9th Senate.
“This issue of electronic transmission is always problematic… Somehow, the party in power has always been very resistant to these notions,” he said.
He described last week’s reversal as “unfortunate,” particularly after INEC assured lawmakers of its capacity to implement electronic transmission.
According to him, both the Senate and House committees had initially reached unanimous agreement to protect IREV before the matter was altered on the Senate floor.
“If I were a member of the conference committee, I would adopt the House version because it reflects what we all agreed in the joint committee,” he added.
EC8A Remains Primary Evidence
Dickson emphasised that the true safeguard of electoral transparency lies at the polling unit level, particularly in the handling of the EC8A result form.
“The primary evidence of who won an election is the EC8A. Once the votes are counted, agents sign, and copies are issued, INEC compels presiding officers to transmit the result to IREV.
That is good enough for us,” he said.
He also defended the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling, stressing that IREV was never intended to replace polling unit result sheets as the primary legal evidence of election outcomes.
Concerns Over Direct Primaries
Beyond electronic transmission, Dickson raised objections to provisions seeking to compel political parties to adopt direct primaries.
“Direct voting is a concept introduced by the APC. They have no right to enforce it on every other party, particularly the smaller parties,” he argued.
‘Progress Is Incremental’
Despite expressing reservations about the manual collation proviso, Dickson acknowledged the necessity of compromise in parliamentary processes.
“I don’t agree with the proviso that has been included, but parliament works on the basis of majority,” he said.
Concluding, the senator maintained that the amendment still marks progress.
“You make gains incrementally. It’s not always your way or the highway.
We have made electronic transfer mandatory, and that is progress.”