Obi: Senate’s decision on e-transmission a deliberate plot to destroy democracy, jeopardise 2027 polls

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has criticised the Senate for rejecting a proposal to make the electronic transmission of election results compulsory, warning that the decision could undermine the credibility of the 2027 general elections.

In a statement released on Thursday, Obi described the Senate’s action as a setback for electoral transparency and accountability, arguing that the refusal to clearly mandate real-time electronic upload of polling unit results leaves room for manipulation.
He said the decision raised serious concerns about the commitment of political leaders to credible democratic processes.

Obi noted that he had delayed reacting to the development due to the reported killings in parts of Kwara State, but stressed that the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral system remained a pressing national issue.

According to him, controversies and disputes that trailed the 2023 general elections were closely tied to the failure to fully implement electronic transmission of results, which he said weakened public trust in the process.
He argued that while several African countries were embracing technology to strengthen their electoral systems, Nigeria appeared to be moving in the opposite direction.

“The rejection of this critical safeguard erodes confidence in our elections and raises questions about whether the system is designed to serve the people or a select few,” Obi stated.

The former Anambra State governor said resistance to electoral reforms by political actors was contributing to governance challenges and deepening citizens’ scepticism about democratic institutions.

He warned that Nigerians were increasingly unwilling to accept processes that lack transparency, adding that the country could not afford a repeat of the tensions and disputes witnessed in 2023.

Obi also called on the international community to pay attention to developments around Nigeria’s electoral framework, saying credible elections were essential for national stability and development.

Read Obi’s statement below:

We Continue to Confirm our ‘Now Disgraced Status’ as a Nation?

Let us all pause and pray for the souls of over 150 innocent lives lost in Kwara yesterday. This tragedy is precisely why I delayed commenting on the outrageous and shameful news surrounding our electoral system. The Senate’s blatant rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results is an unforgivable act of electoral manipulation ahead of 2027.

This failure to pass a clear safeguard is nothing short of a deliberate assault on Nigeria’s democracy. By rejecting these essential transparency measures, they are eroding the very foundation of credible elections. One must ask: Does the government exist to ensure order and justice, or to institutionalise chaos? Is its purpose to serve the people, or to fulfil the sinister ambitions of a select few?

The turmoil, disputes, and manipulations that plagued past elections, especially the 2023 general election, stemmed directly from the refusal to fully implement electronic transmission. Nigerians were fed excuses of a fabricated “glitch” that never existed. While numerous African nations adopt electronic transmission to bolster democracy, Nigeria, the supposed giant of Africa, shamelessly lags behind, dragging the continent backwards.

We are wasting time hosting conferences and drafting papers on Nigeria’s problems while we, the leaders and elite, are the real issue. Our deliberate resistance to reform is pulling the country backwards, dragging us toward a primitive state of governance.

By rejecting mandatory electronic transmission—a critical safeguard for electoral integrity—we are entrenching disorder aimed at perpetuating confusion according to the whims of a small clique. Have we not reached a point where we must think seriously about the future of our country and our children? Should leadership not focus on building a credible, orderly, and livable nation for the next generation, rather than one permanently ensnared in chaos?

When the former Prime Minister of the UK, aware of our history, labelled us “fantastically corrupt,” we reacted defensively. When President Donald Trump declared us a “now disgraced nation,” we were incensed. Yet, with every act of resistance against transparency and reform, we continue to affirm their claims. Those responsible will later point fingers at others for harming the country while they quietly suffocate its potential.

Let there be no illusion, the criminality witnessed in 2023 will not be tolerated in 2027. Nigerians everywhere must start getting ready to rise up, resist, and reject the backward trajectory, legitimately and decisively reclaim our country from the clutches of deliberate malevolence.

The International community must take heed of this groundwork for continued future electoral manipulation, endangering our democracy and development.

A new Nigeria is POssible but we must all stand and fight for it.

– PO