Sowore Advocates Mandatory E-Transmission of Election Results

Human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has called for the mandatory adoption of electronic transmission of election results in Nigeria, arguing that if Nigerians can conduct secure financial transactions electronically, the same technology can be applied to elections.

Sowore made the statement on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, following his participation in a protest outside the National Assembly on Tuesday.

He stressed that the Bi-Modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, designed to capture and transmit election results, should be made compulsory for all elections.

“Like I said, if electronic systems can be used to transfer money and conduct other confidential transactions, there is no reason why Nigerians cannot vote electronically from their homes,” Sowore said. “Yet, we still have citizens roaming around to cast their votes, and often, the results are not credible, leading to the election of people we did not vote for.”

Sowore expressed concern over recent provisions that did not make electronic transmission mandatory. “Our presence at the barricades was to demand clarity and insist that electronic transmission must be obligatory. BVAS machines, which operate in two modes, are fully capable of capturing results and transmitting them directly to the INEC portal,” he added.