Senate Explains Removal of 'Real-Time' Clause in Bill

Opeyemi Bamidele, a senator representing Ekiti State, disclosed the reasons behind the removal of the 'real-time' clause from Clause 60(3) of the 2026 electoral bill. This clause mandated the electronic transmission of results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) via the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV).

Bamidele explained that the Senate had previously rejected this clause due to Nigeria's infrastructural realities, emphasizing the need to consider the country's broadband coverage, which is projected to reach 70% by 2025, and an internet penetration rate of 44.53%. He highlighted Nigeria's low rankings in mobile network reliability and fixed broadband speed, placing Nigeria 85th out of 105 countries for mobile network reliability and 129th out of 150 for fixed broadband.

Furthermore, he noted that approximately 85 million Nigerians lack access to grid electricity, which affects the power infrastructure. Bamidele warned that enforcing the real-time transmission requirement could lead to instability in data management, stressing that legislative decisions should not be based solely on public sentiment.