Sowore: 90% of Lawmakers would lose seats if Nigerian elections were transparent

 

Human rights activist and politician, Omoyele Sowore, has asserted that up to 90 per cent of members of the National Assembly and other elected officials would lose their seats if Nigeria’s elections were conducted in a truly transparent manner.

Sowore made the claim while reacting to the ongoing debate surrounding amendments to the Electoral Act, particularly the provisions on electronic transmission of election results.

On Tuesday, the Senate approved amendments allowing the electronic transmission of results, a development widely welcomed by Nigerians. However, lawmakers retained a clause permitting manual collation in areas with poor internet connectivity, a provision critics have described as unnecessary and open to abuse.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, Sowore argued that legislators are unwilling to introduce reforms that would guarantee credible elections because such measures threaten their political survival. He dismissed claims that network challenges justify manual collation, describing them as mere excuses.

According to him, lawmakers oppose transparent elections because they know credible polls would significantly reduce their chances of returning to office. He also criticised the Senate’s decision to retain manual collation, describing it as a calculated move designed to preserve what he called the old, discredited method of announcing election results, which has weakened public confidence in the electoral process.

Sowore further criticised the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) IREV system as outdated and advocated adopting full electronic voting, similar to India’s model. He noted that India successfully conducts elections for about 900 million voters using electronic voting with minimal post-election disputes.

He also questioned why Nigerians cannot vote electronically from their homes, despite being able to carry out other sensitive and confidential transactions online.