By Chinedum Treasure
Civil society advocate, Dr. Jude Ohanele, has called for urgent electoral reforms to restore public trust in Nigeria’s democracy.
Ohanele urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to forward amendments to the 2026 Electoral Act, particularly to legalize mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results from polling units.
He argued that the current system allows manipulation, especially during collation.
Describing Nigeria’s system as an “electoral dictatorship,” he said elections often fail to reflect the will of the people due to weak processes and lack of transparency.
He also highlighted flawed party primaries as a major issue, noting that candidates frequently emerge through questionable processes, undermining credible elections.
Ohanele explained that enforcing real-time electronic transmission would secure results, reduce tampering, and allow public verification.
He added that swift legislative action is possible with political will.
He concluded that credible elections are essential to restoring confidence in governance and strengthening democracy.
Tags: Nigeria politics, electoral reform, INEC, democracy, Bola Tinubu, electronic voting, election transparency, governance, civil society, electoral act
