Public affairs analyst, Peter Randy , has said that the electronic transmission of election results in Nigeria was never intended to determine winners but to enhance transparency and public monitoring of the process.
Speaking in an interview with Landslide News, Peter Randy explained that the purpose of transmitting results electronically was to allow citizens access to real-time updates and improve confidence in the electoral process.
“The transmission was to monitor and to look at how the process is, not to give who wins or who doesn’t win,” he said. “It was supposed to be a guide, not a mode of decision making.”
Citing the provisions of the Electoral Act, he referenced Section 60(5), which states that presiding officers must transmit results “in a way and manner as prescribed by INEC.” According to him, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had already outlined this procedure.
“Paragraph 38 of the INEC guidelines clearly mandates INEC to transmit results electronically,” he noted.
Peter Randy criticized the judiciary’s interpretation of the law during post-election litigations, saying the Nigerian political class often leaves loopholes that undermine accountability.
“The National Assembly of politicians is like a witchcraft coven if we give you with the right hand, we take with the left hand. There must be loopholes,” he said. “So, even when INEC set guidelines for itself, which are sub-laws of the Electoral Act, the judiciary did not think there was a problem holding INEC accountable.”
He concluded that the controversies around result transmission highlight deeper flaws within Nigeria’s legal and electoral systems.
