A former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr Mustapha Lecky, has said Nigeria lacks the technical capacity needed for real-time electronic transmission of election results. He made the statement during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, as discussions continue over the Senate’s recent decision on electoral reforms.

Dr Lecky explained that real-time transmission cannot work effectively without electronic voting, which Nigeria has not adopted. According to him, election results are currently generated through manual voting and physical ballot counting, making instant electronic transmission unrealistic. He argued that both systems must operate together for real-time transmission to be meaningful.

Reacting to the Senate’s rejection of a proposal to make electronic transmission compulsory, the former INEC official said the debate was misplaced. He noted that voters still cast paper ballots, which are counted openly at polling units before results are compiled. In his view, introducing instant electronic transmission without first transitioning to electronic voting creates unnecessary confusion.

Dr Lecky maintained that Nigeria should focus on improving existing electoral processes rather than rushing into advanced technology it is not prepared for. He stressed that transparency in vote counting at polling units remains more important at this stage than live transmission of results, adding that electoral reforms should follow a gradual and realistic approach.