Adebayo Demands Mandatory E-Transmission, Warns of Mass Resistance if Amendment Fails

Prince Adewole Adebayo, the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) 2023 presidential candidate, has issued a forceful warning to President Bola Tinubu and National Assembly leadership over the exclusion of mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results from the amended Electoral Act, declaring that failure to enact the provision would trigger mass resistance and potentially jeopardize the 2027 electoral cycle.

Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja following the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026—which omitted clauses mandating instantaneous transmission of polling unit results to INEC’s public portal—Adebayo stated, “If you don’t make electronic transmission of results possible, it means you want an end to this democracy.”

He added that Nigerians would respond decisively to protect democratic integrity, emphasizing that the provision reflects overwhelming public demand expressed during nationwide Senate hearings in 2025.

The SDP leader further warned that without a legislative mandate for electronic transmission, “there will be no elections” in the conventional sense, arguing that citizens would reject electoral outcomes perceived as manipulated during manual collation processes—a vulnerability exploited in previous polls.

He insisted that at the constitutional termination of current officials’ tenure in 2027, “you will leave office,” framing the demand as a defense of popular sovereignty rather than personal ambition.

Adebayo’s remarks come amid escalating tensions following Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s defense of the amendment’s current form. The SDP leader accused Akpabio of allowing “the devil” to influence his judgment on electoral reform, describing the Senate President’s position as “mercenary” behavior that undermines democratic safeguards.

Civil society organizations, including Yiaga Africa and the Nigerian Guild of Editors, have joined the SDP in demanding mandatory e-transmission, arguing it would drastically reduce post-election disputes by enabling transparent, real-time verification of results from polling units nationwide.