Electoral Act Row: NLC Threatens Nationwide Protest, Election Boycott Over Senate’s Rejection of Real-Time Result Transmission

 

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has threatened to mobilise workers and citizens for mass action and a possible boycott of future elections if the National Assembly fails to include compulsory real-time electronic transmission of election results in the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act 2022.

NLC President, Joe Ajaero, in a statement issued on Sunday, expressed deep concern over what he described as conflicting signals and lack of clarity from the Senate regarding provisions of the amended electoral law, particularly on electronic transmission of results by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The Senate had, last week, rejected a proposal seeking to make real-time electronic transmission of election results mandatory, while retaining the existing provision that gives INEC discretionary powers on the method of transmitting results.

The proposed amendment was designed to make electronic transmission compulsory, real-time, and directly linked to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal, IReV. Under the current law, however, manual collation remains the dominant method, with electronic transmission not expressly mandated.

Reacting, the labour body said the development has heightened public distrust and triggered widespread apprehension about the credibility of future elections.

According to Ajaero, Nigerians deserve an electoral system that is transparent and verifiable, where votes are not only counted but are seen to be counted.

He called on the Senate to urgently publish a clear and authoritative account of its decisions on the amendment bill, including the exact provisions passed and the rationale behind them.

The NLC said legislative ambiguity at a critical period in Nigeria’s democratic journey could undermine electoral integrity and revive controversies that trailed past elections.

“The National Assembly must ensure that the harmonisation process produces a final bill with clear and unambiguous provisions. Any vagueness regarding transmission and collation of results is a disservice to democracy,” the statement said.

The congress warned that failure to mandate real-time electronic transmission of results could trigger nationwide protests before, during and after elections, or even a total boycott by Nigerian workers and their allies.

It added that the country must avoid repeating past electoral controversies, insisting that the road to the 2027 general elections must be built on clarity, transparency and public trust.