The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Joash Amupitan, has acknowledged concerns over the commission’s capacity to deploy electronic transmission of election results across the country, saying the cost of building a self sustaining infrastructure would be high but unavoidable.
Amupitan spoke while presenting the commission’s proposed budget for the 2027 general elections to the Joint Committee of the National Assembly on Electoral Matters in Abuja.
He said INEC currently does not own a dedicated communications network and relies on external service providers for the transmission of election results. According to him, this arrangement limits the commission’s full accountability, noting that ownership of infrastructure would make INEC directly responsible for the entire transmission process.
The INEC chairman explained that establishing an independent and reliable nationwide network would require significant capital investment, but stressed that such a step was necessary to strengthen transparency and public confidence in the electoral process.
Lawmakers at the session raised questions about the size of the proposed budget and the commission’s readiness to implement electronic transmission at scale. Amupitan responded that a substantial portion of the funding request was tied to technology deployment, including systems needed to support result transmission and other election operations.
The issue of electronic transmission has gained renewed attention following recent legislative debates on amendments to electoral laws. As preparations for the 2027 polls gather pace, INEC’s remarks highlight the financial and infrastructure challenges facing efforts to modernise Nigeria’s electoral process.
