Nigeria Not Ready for Real-Time Electronic Voting — Senator Dickson

Senator Seriake Dickson, representing Bayelsa West and a former governor of the state, has declared that Nigeria is not yet equipped for full-scale electronic voting, describing the demand for real-time transmission of election results as unnecessary.

Speaking in an interview with ARISE News on Tuesday, Dickson noted that the country currently lacks an electronic voting system capable of instantly uploading votes to a central platform. “We are not at the point where you press a button and your vote is immediately added online,” he said, calling the phrase “real time” a superfluous term that does not in itself guarantee transparency.

His remarks came after the Senate revisited Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill following public backlash. Lawmakers ultimately approved the electronic transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV), but maintained manual collation as a fallback option in the event of network failure. The proposal to mandate real-time uploads was rejected.

While critics have argued that the retained manual option creates room for manipulation, Dickson disagreed, insisting the decision does not mark a democratic setback. He revealed that discussions on electronic transmission spanned nearly two years and included consultations with INEC, and explained that his absence from earlier debates was due to a bereavement.

Dickson said resistance to electronic transmission dates back to the 9th Senate, particularly among members of the ruling party, and noted that both legislative chambers had initially agreed on the provision before it was altered.

He emphasised that the polling unit result form, EC8A, remains the foundational document for election outcomes. “Once votes are counted, signed, and uploaded to IREV, that is good enough,” he said. Although he acknowledged lingering concerns about manual collation, he accepted it as a necessary compromise, stressing that electronic transmission remains a mandatory component of the process.

Dickson concluded that electoral reform is a gradual process and described the latest amendment as a step forward.