Electoral Reform Must Follow Readiness, Not Rhetoric – ADSC Boss

Electoral Reform Must Follow Readiness, Not Rhetoric – ADSC Boss

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

President and Chief Executive of the Africa Development Studies Centre (ADSC), Sir Victor Oluwafemi, has cautioned against rushing Nigeria into real-time electronic transmission of election results, warning that the country lacks the structural readiness required for such a reform, particularly in rural areas with poor connectivity.

Oluwafemi, who is also a member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, made the observation in a statement issued on Monday as part of what he described as an institutional and evidence-based advisory on the ongoing national debate over electoral technology.

He said the growing advocacy for electronic voting and instant transmission of results risks prioritising speed over credibility, noting that Nigeria’s elections are still largely conducted through manual voting, counting and physical documentation at polling units.

According to him, “the push for real-time electronic transmission of election results risks prioritising speed over integrity, and visibility over verifiability,” stressing that every valid result still begins with paper processes, human procedures and environmental conditions that technology alone cannot correct.

The ADSC president pointed out that critical gaps in electricity supply, telecommunications coverage, cybersecurity preparedness, personnel training and legal clarity continue to undermine the feasibility of real-time transmission nationwide.

He warned that enforcing such a system under present conditions could disenfranchise voters in low-connectivity communities, expose the process to cyber vulnerabilities and trigger increased post-election litigation arising from conflicting evidentiary standards.

Oluwafemi noted that even in advanced democracies, instant transmission is not treated as a priority over auditability, as paper records remain the legal anchor while technology is used to support verification and reconciliation.

He argued that the central challenge is not the absence of technology but the improper sequencing of reforms, insisting that electoral modernisation must be approached as national infrastructure rather than an election-season intervention.

“The issue is not technology; it is sequencing. Electoral reform must be engineered as national infrastructure, not introduced as an election-season feature,” he said.

From a governance systems perspective, Oluwafemi advocated a phased and platform-based approach to electoral reform, anchored on Policy as a Platform (PaaP) and Results as a Service (RaaS).

He explained that the frameworks would allow for gradual, geographically sequenced deployment of technology while strengthening auditability, reconciliation and public trust in the process.

He added that Nigeria does not need to abandon electoral technology but must respect the order of reform, warning that premature automation could weaken confidence in the system.

“Until foundational gaps in power, connectivity, cybersecurity and legal coherence are addressed, real-time electronic transmission of results should remain a medium-term objective, not an immediate mandate,” Oluwafemi said.