As the controversy over President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill continues, new findings indicate that the president’s fears may be justified after all.
Buhari had noted that in line with current realities in the country, the conduct of elections for the nomination of party candidates as solely via direct primaries as envisaged by the electoral act amendment bill 2021 has serious adverse, legal, financial and economic and security consequences.
However, critics of the president’s action had averred that direct primary as main reason for the refusal to assent to the bill was just a smokescreen, adding that the major issue of concern in the bill is the electronic transmission of results.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been insisting it has developed adequate structures and processes to successfully transmit election results electronically.
But finding by the PUNCH on Wednesday put the country’s readiness for such exercise in doubt due to lack of internet access in 301 local government areas of the country.
The report was based on the National Development Plan 2021 – 2025 launched last week by President Muhammadu Buhari where the federal government projected that 697 LGAs will have Internet access by 2023.
Nigeria has a total of 774 local government areas but the National Development Plan revealed that only 473 of the number have internet access.
From the development plan’s projection, 301 local government areas would not have internet access by the time the country holds its general elections in February thereby making the proposition to transmit results electronically impossible.
The report said in the development plan, the government pegged 473 as the baseline for the number of LGAs with Internet connection. This implies that the government targets providing Internet access to an additional 224 LGAs with Internet access by 2023.
Satellite technology can fill the vacuum
Experts at the Alliance for Affordable Internet which the newspapers spoke to,
advised the Federal Government to consider using satellite technology in the transmission of results electronically in the 2023 elections.
They also noted that there was no 3G access in over 300 LGAs in Nigeria, adding that this was part of the issues which the Nigerian Broadband Plan 2020 – 2025 was put together to address.
The National Coordinator for Alliance for Affordable Internet, who served as the immediate past President of The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, Olusola Teniola, said it was possible to transmit results electronically as long as the pressing issues were addressed.
He said on the day of the election, transmission of results can be done via satellite on a specific time, location and based on the fact that it is being used for the elections only.
He, however, said if the country is looking for continuous transmission, it has put in place the needed infrastructure to provide continuous service.
Lack of internet not a threat – Olurode
But a former National Commissioner of INEC, Prof Lai Olurode, said INEC can use other platforms in the local government areas where internet access is lacking.
He specifically noted that in places with no internet facilities, election results could be transmitted through manual platforms.
