Samson Itodo Raises Alarm Over Electoral Amendment, Warns Against Undermining Electronic Transmission of Results

In a recent appearance on The Morning Show on ARISE News Morning Show, Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, raised serious concerns over proposed amendments to Nigeria’s electoral framework, warning that certain provisions passed by the Senate could undermine transparency in future elections.

Speaking during the interview, Itodo questioned the intent behind a controversial proviso reportedly introduced into the Electoral Act amendment bill. He argued that the clause, which appears to give precedence to manually recorded results (EC8A forms) over electronically transmitted results from the IReV portal, creates confusion and potentially weakens electoral accountability.

According to him, elections are not merely procedural exercises but foundational democratic processes that require clarity, consistency, and legal certainty. He stressed that if electronically transmitted results cannot be relied upon or challenged in court, then the promise of transparency through technology would be severely diminished.

Itodo referenced concerns about the justiciability of results uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing (IReV) portal. He noted that in a country with over 176,000 polling units, it would be practically impossible for any political party to gather and present all physical EC8A forms as evidence in election petitions. This, he implied, makes electronic transmission a critical safeguard for transparency and public trust.

Drawing from his legal background, Itodo questioned the rationale behind the proviso, invoking principles of statutory interpretation such as the literal rule and the mischief rule. He asked what specific “mischief” the new clause was intended to cure, arguing that while technology is not immune to failure or vulnerabilities, the amendment appears unnecessary and counterproductive.

He further warned that by creating a hierarchy of results—where manually recorded results take precedence over electronically transmitted ones—the amendment could open the door to manipulation and legal uncertainty. Describing the provision as “legislative overkill,” Itodo urged the House of Representatives to reject the clause, insisting that Nigeria does not need ambiguous legal language that appears to “give with one hand and take with the other.”

The Yiaga Africa director emphasized that clarity in electoral law is essential if citizens are to maintain confidence in the democratic process. While acknowledging ongoing debates around technological reliability, he maintained that reforms should strengthen—not weaken—the integrity and transparency of elections in Nigeria.

His remarks have since fueled wider public discussion about electoral reforms and the balance between manual collation and electronic transmission in the country’s evolving democratic framework.