By Abuja, Nigeria
The Senate Leader and Senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District of Ekiti State, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has disclosed the real reason behind the removal of “real time” from the 2026 Electoral Bill.
Bamidele have the clarification on Sunday via a statement issued through his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs. He explained that the Senate had previously rejected Clause 60(3) of the bill, which mandated that the presiding officer “shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time…”.
The clause was subsequently redrafted to retain electronic transmission of results while omitting the “real time” requirement. Bamidele however described Clause 60(3) as “an initiative that any legislature or parliament globally would ordinarily have embraced.”
Bamidele while highlighting that around 85 million Nigerians, roughly 43 percent of the population, lack access to grid electricity, stressed that the Senate had to consider the country’s infrastructural realities before making its decision.
“This shortfall speaks to the state of our power infrastructure. Even though our generation capacity hovers roughly between 12,000 and 13,500 megawatts, our distribution and transmission capacity are acutely limited.
“As we all know, it can only deliver 4,500 megawatts to households nationwide. But with the Electricity Act, 2025, our power sector will record significant growth from this financial year,” the lawmaker added.
He further warned that enforcing real-time transmission under these conditions could lead to instability.
“The data speak directly to the stark realities of our federation, not emotion or sentiment. As representatives of the people, we cannot enact laws based purely on public emotion or sentiment,” he stated.
According to the Senate leader, the removal of “real time” aims to ensure the electoral framework aligns with Nigeria’s current capabilities while still addressing public concerns about transparency
